My Best Friend is a Dragon
by StarLion
Summary: There is a saying: Be careful what you wish for. When Roxas makes a wish on a star Sora is seeing, he never expected it to come true - let alone to meet an old friend, with a new look...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Right, here goes once more. You know the drill, Kingdom Hearts isn't mine. Still.

This story, unlike the rest, wasn't actually another random idea, or something inspired by a passing thought at three in the morning. This story was inspired by a bit of artwork by a friend, who let me see it before it was finished. And as far as I know it still isn't finished, and isn't online yet if it is - so you'll have to wait to see what that artwork depicts.

I was going to make this an AU one, but decided it worked better this way instead. Though, I guess it still kinda is AU anyway.

Lastly, to cut off my rambling, a single dedication: You got me started at writing these things, and look at how far I came since then. All thanks to you. (You know who you are too!)

Right, that's all. I'm off to go write some more.

* * *

><p>Roxas had thought his story was over, when he'd given Sora back everything he'd taken. But his other half still needed him around for a time yet. Until he'd finished off the Organization at last.<br>_Then_ his part was done, and Roxas was left without anything to do, any reason left to be – even if it was just as a small part of Sora.  
>There is a saying. Be careful what you wish for.<br>Roxas wished he could have a life again. That he could see his friends again.  
>He wished it upon a passing star he noticed Sora seeing.<br>The star heard that wish, sending it to another star out there, the star of a world where he could make a difference.  
>Roxas, unaware of this, wondered if he'd ever get that wish.<br>Wishes are dangerous things. You never know when one might get granted.  
>You never know what twists comes with them when they get granted.<br>Unaware of what was happening, as Sora turned to sleep, so naturally did Roxas.  
>And in that sleep, something separated all that was Roxas alone from Sora, and gave him a form that was his own alone, taking nothing from Sora.<br>As he slept, not realising he had been created anew, Roxas was taken to the world the wish had gone to.  
>The wish altered the world, not much, small amounts, to take into account the newcomer that came into their midst.<br>Memories were distributed around that showed he had lived there for all his life, all sixteen years, born and raised. He was given a family, friends. Would they be the friends he wished to see, or would he have to find those friends?  
>He was given a life, and all he needed with it.<br>Roxas slept through the night in his own bed now, innocent of the consequences of his wish.  
>Outside, high above his new home, a large shadow flew through the night time skies, a black that was only seen by where the stars were no longer visible, blotted out by it's shape.<br>Friends weren't the only thing brought here by his wish. And this owner of this shape wasn't brought here because of him. This had been brought here by a small bit of Sora that had come along for the ride. Only a small piece. Small enough that Sora would never know. Nothing about him would diminish in the slightest.  
>This was Roxas's own story now, free from others. He had the life he'd wished for.<br>Wishes are fickle things. Suggest that you regret having one come true, and they could turn on you, or they could try to alter things, try to make you change your mind.  
>This wish watched now, waiting to see what Roxas would think of what it had wrought.<p>

Roxas began to wake up. Hands gripped the sheets under the covers tightly.  
><em>I'm dreaming. I've gotta be dreaming. There's no way... this is real. I'm just with Sora.<br>_"Roxas!" a voice called. "Your breakfast is on the table! I'm off to work – don't stay in bed all day again!"  
>Without thinking, he called back, "Alright Mom, I'm getting up already."<br>_Did I just...  
><em>Eyes snapped open, seeing a room he didn't recognise. It was similar to the room he once had in Twilight Town. Well, the simulation of it, anyway. Shelves along one wall, taken up with books on the bottom two shelves, then just various odd items and things. It looked like he put anything on there at all, except for the top shelf – that had two trophies on it. Without getting up to examine them, it wasn't clear what they were for.  
>Desk and chair in one corner. The desk showed that he followed that most common of filing systems, known simply as 'First Available Surface'. The floor too showed a similar filing – or lack thereof – with his clothes scattered around. It was some consolation that there was at least some floor visible around the patches of clothes and other belongings.<br>This was his room... except he'd never seen it before. Everything in here was both familiar, yet new to him. It was as if he gained the memories he never had, just by looking at or thinking about something.  
>But his room or not, where was we? Where exactly was this place. Almost as soon as he thought the question, the answer came to him.<br>Dragonbarrow. This was the town of Dragonbarrow. His home. He had a family here, a life, friends... though not many, it seemed, thinking about it. And none of them he recognised – well, none he'd met before this life, anyway. He was known as the odd one out more often that not, because he liked dragons where everyone else was afraid of them.  
>He couldn't see why – they were impressive beasts, though their numbers were dwindling. Most thought this a good thing because of the havoc they would and frequently could cause, but he reasoned that it couldn't be intentional. Not all the time. If people would just try to talk to them, befriend them and help them, then maybe they wouldn't be dying out. Maybe there was a way to live with them peacefully.<br>It was that last thought that made him stick out. He remembered knowing well not to mention it lightly, as few people would even hear of these kind of views.  
>His line of thought was disrupted by a rumble from below. Breakfast was calling to him, and his stomach was answering.<br>Roxas dressed himself, matching the appearance he'd had before joining Sora, then headed out of his room, down the stairs. He didn't even have to think about where he was going, like everything else it seemed to come to him naturally.  
>The lower floor of the house was one open space, kitchen, dining area and lounge in one. Smells of breakfast reached him almost before he could see it.<br>Waffles, of course. It would be. That, with baked beans. Others told him it was hardly a real breakfast, but that hadn't stopped him before. And he wasn't going to now, either.  
>As he ate, he thought about the newer things he was getting with this new world, new life.<br>He recalled his line of thinking, trying to follow it again. Dragons. There were dragons here?  
>No. Had. There had been dragons. But something had wiped out many of them, and those few that were left were seen as highly antagonistic. Humans were often seen as prey by them, not worth trusting. Using, but not trusting.<br>That's right. He remembered now, if that was the right word for something he'd never remembered before. The town was at threat of a dragon, only kept at bay by periodic sacrifices made to it. The dragon allegedly contacted someone within the city, informing them of the one selected to be the sacrifice, and if it didn't get who it asked for, then it threatened to attack.  
>On the up side, as long as it did get someone, it was known not to be too disruptive when it wasn't the one asked for, but this hadn't happened for a long time. As usual, it was generally agreed that matching the request was in better interests. When it was talked about at all.<br>The tribute to the dragon had been paid regularly, on time and without fail for many years. A dragonstrike was something only read about in the history of Dragonbarrow now, and the residents tried to go about their life as best they could, pretending not to notice or know anything of the brutal payment they had to endure, once every month.  
>People who became sacrifices were usually given time to set their affairs in order, then spoken of as if they had just vanished. No one ever talked about what really happened to them, he thought perhaps because it meant they wouldn't have to think about it.<br>Most sacrifices, though unwilling, accepted that they had little choice if they wanted the town and the residents to remain safe. Roxas had already decided long ago that if he got chosen, he'd do anything he could to get out of letting it happen to him.  
><em>What about me? What do I usually do?<br>_Go to school, the usual answer would have been, but this was the summer vacation. He had savings from his allowance, along with odd jobs he did around the town, more than enough to survive whatever plans he came up with until school started again. Not that he wanted to go, but no one ever did.  
>It was decided. Even though his memories told him he knew this place, he also knew he'd never been here before today, and that meant the first thing to do was to explore it, learn about it.<br>Breakfast was finished quickly, then a skateboard was fetched from under the bed – about the only place where it wasn't going to get lost to the mess slowly colonising his floor. It was identical to the one he'd had back in Twilight Town – white, with wings on either side, and the black designs on the top.  
>One brief pause to make sure he had the keys to get in again when he got back, and then he was away down one of the many side streets of Dragonbarrow, headed, if his new memories were accurate, for the Third Market Plateau.<br>It seemed that like Twilight Town, Dragonbarrow had been built on a mountain. Unlike Twilight Town, it had not only been built on one side of it, but on all sides of it. It had been sculpted into many flat terraces that stepped up the mountainside in rings around it, culminating at the top with the imposing marble façade that made up the Governmental Offices.  
>What was more, it had even been build <em>into<em> the mountain, forming tunnel networks inside. The tunnels closer to the edge were still used for all manner of purposes, but the deeper ones were uncharted, unused and generally forgotten about.  
>They'd once been used in the event of a dragonstrike, memories of a history lesson told him. Whenever one happened, the populace scrambled for cover inside, usually hoping that what they owned didn't get toasted. One of the finer points of it was that even if you lost everything in the strike, you still had your life at least.<br>But with the agreement with the single dragon threatening the town, dragonstrikes had ceased, and there was no longer any need for the caverns inside.  
>Roxas paused at a wall on the edge of one of the terraces, looking down the mountainside to the town below and beyond. Most of the surrounds were forests, with only a few carved routes through to distant lands, none of which he'd been to.<br>At the base of the southernmost face of the mountain, the woods gave way to the massive entrance that had once been a coal mine, once rumoured to be connected to the tunnels inside the mountain. The well worn, rocky path from the south gate led to it, and past it toward a second, smaller but far more rocky and barren mountain. Or more accurately, volcano. The dragon's lair, and the one place no one wanted to end up going, unless it was as an escort for the sacrifice.  
>Yet another memory surfaced, and Roxas realised there really was something he was meant to be doing today. He'd taken a job a few days ago to cover for a watchman who'd fallen ill. He wasn't meant to be on duty in their place today – not normally, anyway. But today was the first of the month. Sacrifice day – and the watchman he was replacing was assigned to escort duty.<br>There was nothing for it, if he wanted to collect the pay for the job, he'd have to go through with this. He wasn't late, not yet anyway, but he was going to be if he didn't get down to the watch house nearest the southern gate. At least another dozen terraces down, and each terrace was fairly large. The mountain hadn't been steep, or if it had been it wasn't any more.  
>At least one of the better points of having a skateboard in Dragonbarrow was that after a recent petition had been approved, the middle of streets were generally kept clear for those like him, allowing him to dodge the foot traffic easily. Even others on boards weren't that much of an issue, so long as he paid attention where other streets crossed this one.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Though the morning traffic was not bad, Roxas still only just made it to the watch house in time, kicking the skateboard into one hand, then quickly heading inside.  
>"Almost late Roxas," the officer on duty told him sternly.<br>"Hey, I made it in time, didn't I?" he answered, leaning on the desk. "Do me a little favour, keep this safe for me until I get back?" he asked then, handing the board over.  
>"Only because it's the reason you're here in time. Just be glad Captain Nielen is running late today, or you wouldn't have the time. And you know what he's like with people bringing personal effects with them."<br>Roxas knew. The last time someone had brought a skateboard along, they'd gone back with it in two pieces.  
>"How formal is it this time?"<br>"You should know better than to ask," he replied. "Always the same for escort duty, even for part-timers like you." A key was handed to him. "Locker 4. Get yourself ready double-time, and if you're not up with the rest of the guards when Nielen gets here, I'm nominating you for next month's sacrifice."  
>It was an empty threat, as they had no actual choice over who was picked, and no way to suggest anyone, but the implications were clear enough. Nielen was not known for his leniency in any regard of the watchman's duties. He was the reason the town watch had started to improve from the moment he made Captain. His own watch house and the men assigned to it quickly outstripped the others, and so they in turn were essentially forced to step up and match him or stand out as sub-par in comparison.<br>He was starting to get used to these memories just coming to him like this, even remembering where the locker room was without thinking about it.  
>Technically, Roxas was a lance-constable while on duty, though this meant very little. He could handle enquiries into most open cases provided he was assigned to them, detain someone if he had justifiable reason, and was allowed the right to be armed within the confines of the town, though strictly for self-defence. This was usually deemed more than enough, though in special circumstances and only with the authorisation of one of the watch Captains or above, he could be allowed additional powers as needed. Always on a temporary basis though.<br>This rank also meant that even though he was only replacing the indisposed watchman, he still had to wear the uniform. Which wasn't exactly a uniform, either. He had to put aside his jacket in place of a chainmail shirt and a breastplate – which seemed somewhat superfluous, but according to Captain Nielen, it was better to have the breastplate than to be stabbed.  
>Roxas didn't like having to wear either. They were heavy and cumbersome, let alone that even through the padding beneath the chainmail he could feel the links trying to bite at him. The padding wasn't exactly thick, and in some places had been worn through, but the watch often took the view that if it was still functional there was nothing wrong with it. It saved on expenses, at least.<br>He added the sword belt, though as usual there was no sword in the scabbard on it. They were always handed out when they went out on duty, so they knew who was armed and who wasn't.  
>A simple conical helmet, reinforced on the inside to take blows from above after the criminal segment learned that axes broke through too easily, then last came the cape that marked his rank. Simple blue for the lance-constables, while those of a full constable were trimmed with a colour respective of the watch house they were assigned to. White was the colour of choice for Nielen's watch house.<br>At least, being only a lance-constable, there was nothing more than this. The lower ranks were seldom targeted by those criminals who liked to thin the opposition unless they weren't having much luck with those above. It was when you made Sergeant you had to start watching out for yourself even while off-duty, though any of the Captains would make out that it was never too soon to do that anyway, no matter what the ranking.  
>He stowed the key for the locker in one pocket, then headed out the other side of the locker room to the Officer's Mess, which, it was frequently joked, was a mess only because the Officers were in it.<br>A familiar, and not entirely welcome face was among the other watchmen waiting to go on duty, one that the memories told him was one of the several Sergeants at this watch house. Namely, Sergeant Xaldin.  
>Roxas remembered both this Xaldin and the one he'd known before. Their personalities were exceptionally similar, though this one was more known for the sometimes brutal method of capturing those who didn't want to be arrested. He got ahead of them, usually with a long and large bit of lumber, then swung it at them. Usually hurting them in the process, which was technically police brutality, but he always maintained that it had never been intentional, and in any case, any bugger stupid enough to run from him had it coming. Even Nielen couldn't argue with that, since Xaldin had never failed to catch anyone he went after.<br>Xaldin was the first familiar face Roxas had come across here, at least so far. If this was the result of his wish... why was he here? Xaldin and Roxas... well, they hadn't exactly been friends as such.  
>Ordinarily there was time before Nielen turned up, but Roxas had cut it fine today. He'd barely taken in the Mess before the tall Captain entered the room. Conversation dropped off instantly, and all faces turned to him.<br>Nielen was tall, taller than most. He had to duck through most doorways, and even then his dark hair which seemed permanently arranged upwards usually brushed the top all the same.  
>Besides this though, he was not actually a remarkable person, or at least he was as unremarkable as it is possible to be with his brightly burnished armour reflecting the light brilliantly when outside, acting as a homing beacon. No criminal had ever managed to get close to the deceptively moon-faced Captain – at least not in once piece.<br>"Anyone not on duty who should be, get out on your rounds," he started, looking to a few guilty faces among those present, who quickly shuffled out under his gaze. "Now, who's covering for Cubby?"  
>"I am, sir," Roxas answered recognising the name. "I know – escort duty."<br>Nielen nodded approvingly. "You know the drill – get your weapon signed out from the armoury, then to the south gate. Same goes for the rest of you assigned to escort. We're short-handed, so there's only seven of you going this time. Not a single mistake from any of you. Get moving."  
>He waited for them to file out. That was his way – handle one group, ensure it was dealt with, then move on to the next only once they had cleared out.<br>Naturally, the armoury was right next door to the Mess, and also led back out onto the streets outside from there. It made sense for officers coming on duty to go through the Mess, the Armoury and then right back out onto the street this way, and generally kept the public part clear of incoming and outgoing officers.  
>Being armed, even just for defence, was one of the reasons he'd taken this on. This was the only way – only <em>legal<em> way – he'd ever be allowed to take up arms, unless he ever managed to save up enough to enter into one of the highly exclusive schools that gave their students a choice of weapons to become proficient in. It was rumoured that passing the final test in most such places automatically gave you the right to be armed anywhere in the town, though few people ever displayed this right. The watch tended to take a suspicious view of anyone armed that wasn't in the watch, and the only way to verify such a claim was to go to the school they claimed to have learned at.  
>He didn't know any of the other watchmen he was working with today, though it made little difference to him who he worked with. He was getting paid to do this, not to know all the faces.<br>It wouldn't have made much difference either way though – those on escort duty seldom had anything to say, because their duty overshadowed everything. It didn't seem right to talk about everyday matters when taking someone to their fate.  
>The Town Guard, different from the watch in that they only normally guarded the topmost four terraces, where the town's elite and ruling body lived and worked, met them at the gate with this month's sacrifice. A small, demure young girl in white. With blond hair and blue eyes, there was no mistaking her identity.<br>It was hard to say if Naminé recognised him as well. Xaldin had been the only one up until now that he'd know before, and he'd shown absolutely no sign of recognition. That was hardly saying much however, as Xaldin rarely showed anything at all.  
>Naminé glanced up when the Town Guards handed her over to them, and they formed up around her. Their eyes met only briefly, but there was no sign of recognition to her.<br>Three of them lined up on either side, with Roxas taking the rear. The idea in this was that the only way for her to run would be toward the dragon – any other way would just result in getting caught by one of them, and dragged up there instead.  
>He felt bad for doing this to her, knowing what they were taking her to, but there didn't seem to be much choice in the matter. He couldn't get in the way of the sacrifice, it was the reason Dragonbarrow was safe. Even if he had wanted to, the other watchmen would stop him.<br>Before they left, the last member of the Town Guard handed him two pairs of handcuffs and the keys to them. These would be what would prevent her from escaping and endangering the town. He started to regret taking the rear of the procession now, knowing he was going to have to be the one to put these on her. He'd never taken part in this before, but knew what was involved. He'd looked up the details when he'd taken on the job, just in case this happened to him.  
>As was traditional, just outside the gate waited her family and the friends she'd invited to see her off. There was quite a crowd there for her. Nothing was said, but he tried to ignore the unkind glances many of them gave him and the other guards. They were just doing their duty after all, it wasn't as if he was the one who'd marched up to the dragon and negotiated the agreement.<br>It left him feeling distinctly guilty over the whole matter, and wondering if he really should have taken on this job after all. It was too late to go back on it.  
>Maybe there was something he could do once up there though... he'd never done this before, surely they'd understand if something just happened to go slightly off from normal... maybe he could work with that and do something.<br>It'd put Dragonbarrow at risk, but as long as the dragon got a sacrifice, it wouldn't be too serious... right?


	3. Chapter 3

The other guards were understandably nervous. There were rumours in the past that sometimes the dragon would take one of them as well as the sacrifice, though such claims were always dismissed.  
>Roxas was nervous for two more reasons than they were though. First, he was going to have to be the one to cuff Naminé to the rings embedded in the rock that would keep her there.<br>And second, he was seriously considering some form of deception to save her – whether she remembered him or not. This in turn was a major threat to Dragonbarrow – if he couldn't replace her, they'd have a full scale dragonstrike, and if he could come up with a way... well, they'd still experience a strike, but it would at least ensure the damage would be far less than it should have been.  
>Worse yet, there would only be a handful of opportunities for him to actually try anything, and with nerves on his mind, his creativity was not at its best. Anything he came up with was going to have to go perfectly, or not at all.<br>A single idea nudged at his mind, catching his attention.  
>The daring side of him pointed out it was risky, but that if the other guards were just as nervous as him, it could just work.<br>The more logical part of him said doing anything at all was risky, so he should either do it or let her be taken.  
>He didn't have long until the peak. It was either now or never. Courage was screwed up, found short, then ignored entirely.<br>"Why don't you guys stay here?" he suggested. "I know the rest of you are afraid too. I just need one of you up there to make sure I get this right."  
>The other guards looked to each other, silently considering the idea.<br>"If the Captain found out..." one of them ventured.  
>"I won't tell if you don't," Roxas said. "Besides, this way if the dragon gets hungry early, the rest of you have a head start back."<br>"Who's going to go with you?" another asked, thankfully for him, one who looked relatively close to Naminé. Or at least, she might just be able to pass as him...  
>"You are," Roxas answered, not looking over. He kept his eyes on the path ahead, not slowing his pace.<br>"Me? Why me?"  
>"Because otherwise we're going to be here all day arguing over it. You take one of her arms, I'll take the other. The rest of you can wait here."<br>He continued on past the other guards, taking one of Naminé's arms, trying not to make it too rough. He did not look at her, even when the other guard took the other arm. What he did do was pay no attention to her sharp look when she recognised his voice, and the second when she realised it was him.  
>The recognition was ignored entirely. It was nice to know she remembered, but they were still in sight of the others. He didn't dare show any sign yet.<br>"Roxas?" she murmured, surprised, then almost shouting at him, "Roxas!"  
>"Hush girl," the other told her. "You'll bring the dragon sooner." Then over her, to him, "You know her?"<br>"No," Roxas answered flatly. "Never seen her before." He knew as he said it that she was staring at him in shocked disbelief.  
>"Roxas, snap out of it! It's me, don't you remember?"<br>"He told you to keep quiet," he told her, continuing to watch the path ahead intently. "Whoever you think I am, you're wrong. I'm not getting eaten over a case of mistaken identity."  
>"But Roxas-"<br>"Hush!" he snapped, a little harsher than he'd intended, feeling her try to stop in her tracks, only to be pulled onward by the two of them.  
>The path turned sharply, flattening out as they entered the small area that existed between the rocks and the edge of the volcano, taking them out of sight of the others. In one of the largest rocks were two iron rings, rusted with age, embedded into the blackened rocks. A pair of unoccupied cuffs were hanging from them, and behind them seemed to be two darker streaks. He tried not to think about what they were from, or what had blasted the rocks here a burnt black.<br>"Hold her," he told the other guard, relinquishing his own grip on Naminé. He'd at least have to give the appearance of going along with this, and first was to remove the old cuffs. The keys he'd been given unlocked this pair, depositing them on a rock nearby.  
><em>Can I really do this? Should I even be doing this?<br>_The answers turned out to be yes, and almost definitely not. He did it anyway, silently beckoning to the nervous guard.  
>"Sorry," he said after a moments hesitation, then to Naminé's surprise he grabbed not her, but the guard. He didn't have time to be surprised, not after the helmet clanged loudly against one rock. The guard's eyes glazed.<br>"Quickly," Roxas told Naminé. "You need to look like him, or this is never going to work," then he began removing the armour from him he added, "Sorry about what I said. Couldn't let them know."  
>"So you do remember me," she answered, removing the helmet.<br>"Yes, but keep your voice down. I don't want the others to get curious. Come _on_! We don't have much time!"  
>As soon as the guard had been divested of enough for Naminé to – hopefully – pass as him, the new cuffs were put on his wrists, then onto the rings in the rocks. The keys were returned to a pocket, and the old cuffs attached to his sword belt to be returned to the Town Guard once he'd signed off duty again.<br>"Tuck your hair into the helmet," he told Naminé absently, making sure he had everything. "Got everything. Done? Right, lets go before I get us both in any more trouble. Try not to say anything on the way down, will you?"  
>He was almost shaking with nerves now, feeling his heart racing. If it had beat any faster, he thought he might be able to hear it against the breastplate.<br>The two of them stepped back out into view of the other five, heading down to meet them. He noticed they'd already started slowly back down the path, while trying at the same time to look as if they hadn't gone anywhere. It hadn't worked.  
>He wasn't technically meant to give them orders, but they were all lance-constables – the only difference was that he was only a temporary replacement.<br>So it surprised them when he looked them over critically, then said, "What do you think you're playing at, trying to sneak off before the duty's finished? Come on, I know you guys are afraid, but seriously. At least try to look as if you're doing the job right. Now lets get back before the dragon gets here."  
>"Uh... we heard a noise..." one said.<br>"I stumbled into a low rock," Roxas replied. "It just caught my helmet."  
>"But there aren't any-"<br>"I said a low rock," Roxas cut him off firmly.  
>"Right. Low rock. Um. How low?"<br>"Low enough not to be worth mentioning. Keep moving before I give you a kicking for trying to run, or I'll be telling the Captain about this."  
>"You'd get in trouble too," another pointed out. "We were all meant to go up there. Not just you and young Sammy."<br>"He'll understand that one. I took one of you along to make sure I didn't try anything while up there. That's all that's actually necessary."  
><em>Except ironically, I really did try something. And it worked, too. I'm not going to get away with that one if they find out what I've done.<br>_The rest of the journey back was taken in silence. The others because of what they thought they'd done, Naminé because she sounded nothing like the unfortunate Sammy they'd put in her place, and him because he'd done that.  
>As she and him had both taken up the rear of their returned procession, when they passed the massive cavern entrance for the old mines, he laid a hand on her mailed shoulder, gesturing for her to keep her head down. She understood – it wasn't unusual for those who saw a sacrifice leave to stick around to abuse the guards who'd done it. Thankfully, there were none remaining today.<br>They came into Dragonbarrow feeling like the last remnants of an army that had run away from the battle, having seen the demoralizing defeat they would have suffered as they departed the battlefield. There was no sign of what they had done, except for the one remaining Town Guard by the gate. Roxas wordlessly handed over the old cuffs and the keys for them as they passed.  
>"Go on ahead," he told the others. "You should all have time off after doing that. Sammy, stay with me, I want to talk to Nielen with you. You're not in trouble," he added, more for the benefit of the others than her. Once they were clear he whispered to her, "We'll sign your weapon out, then wait until the locker room is clear. I've got a change of clothes you can borrow so no one will recognise you."<br>"What am I going to do, Roxas? I can't let anyone find out I didn't get sacrificed."  
>"I'll think of something. Mom never comes in my room, I think we can hide there most of the time."<br>"You mean you didn't think of this earlier?"  
>"I had other things on my mind, like getting you back here safely. I just hope the dragon doesn't do too much because of this."<br>"They're going to search for me once they realise I wasn't up there – and when they watch realises this Sammy is missing-"  
>"I know, I know! Not a word now, don't blow your cover," he muttered, leading her into the armoury. The Quartermaster, used to seeing what he expected and more often than not, not what was really there, didn't notice that 'Sammy' had shrunk a little, or looked slightly off from usual.<br>Once in the locker room, he quickly pulled out the spare change of clothes he stored in the locker. At least he'd been given the same one he usually had here. The clothes weren't anything he'd normally have worn, they were what he called his blending in clothes. Pull up the hood on the hoodie, and few people recognised him. He was hoping it'd work the same for her.  
>The hoodie and shirt were both white, and with them were pants and shoes just like the ones he had one. This would have made him stick out, and spoil the blending in effect, but they were more common here, and so actually made it work even better.<br>Once Roxas had returned everything to his own locker and retrieved the jacket he'd left there, he kept watch while Naminé changed, then led her back out into the main watch house. His skateboard was handed back, along with a small envelope containing his pay for the job.  
>"Don't go getting in trouble now," the officer told him as they were handed over.<br>"Be serious," Roxas answered. "This is me we're talking about."  
>"You're right. I should be telling you to get in more trouble!" he joked.<br>"If only you know," he muttered as he came back out.  
>"I think we've got a problem," Naminé told him outside. "How far up is it to your place?"<br>"About a dozen terraces, why?"  
>"There's too much chance I'll get seen if we have to walk that. If someone finds out..."<br>"I think I can find a way through the tunnels to get us up there," he countered. "I explore them from time to time. No one else uses them. We'll just need a distraction to get into them."  
>As if prompted by that cue, a guttural roar came from the volcano's peak, echoing off buildings, making it seem as if the entire place was shaking in a minor earthquake. A nearby pottery store lost the entire morning's work, totally unnoticed as the whole town froze, as one person turning to the peak.<br>"There's your distraction," Naminé whispered weakly in the following silence.  
>Someone not far away shouted, "Run for cover! It's coming!"<br>"Sound advice," Roxas muttered, quickly taking Naminé's arm. He'd have to find an entrance to the tunnels, and quickly. Around him, the other residents were already panicking, following that same advice.


	4. Chapter 4

Roxas pushed through the crowds, keeping Naminé with him only by their stubborn grip on each other's wrists. Another deafening roar tore rent through the air, drowning out even the panic-stricken populace, calls for parents, for children, pleas for sanctuary.  
>"Roxas!" Naminé bellowed over the noise. "Look up!"<br>The massive form of a dark, black dragon shot overhead. It flew not unlike a swan, if you thought swans were black, scaly, with wingspans that covered entire neighbourhoods, a spiked and barbed tail, and malevolently glowing yellow eyes. A plume of sick-green flame preceded it as it flew past.  
>"Come on!" Roxas called back. "I know a place!"<br>He led her up one terrace and into an abandoned storehouse, the back of which had been carved from the mountainside. There was an unremarkable wooden door at the end, yanked open to reveal one of the many entrances to the honeycomb network of tunnels.  
>The storehouse's workers were already sheltering in some caverns nearby. Aside from the hint of anxiety in their tone, the casual conversation they were holding suggested nothing the outside pandemonium did. They paused, watching curiously as Roxas took a burning torch from a rung in the wall opposite their cavern, then pressed on deeper into the otherwise darkened tunnels.<br>Echoes from distant parts of the network reached them, none clear enough to make out anything distinct.  
>"Where are we going?" Naminé asked quietly.<br>"There's a cavern not far from my home. It's sort of my own secret hideout, made so no one finds it unless I want them to, so you'll be perfectly safe there. If you've a good memory, I can give you directions from it to my place. I'll give you my key so you can get in."  
>"Won't you need it to get in?"<br>"Nah, I know how to break into my own bedroom. And before you ask, don't worry – no one will be home, no one will check my room. Except maybe Mom if she's worried about me."  
>"Maybe I should stay in your hideout then? Anyway, what are you going to do?"<br>"Find out whatever I can about dragons from the library across town. I want to see if there's anything useful about our one that I can use to our advantage."  
>Naminé pulled on his arm again, making him stop. Without the sound of their voices or footsteps there were only faint echoes now, some few voices, some running water, a crackle like that of a fire, and someone breathing very heavily in the distance.<br>"Roxas, you can't be serious."  
>"What?"<br>"I know what you're thinking of. You want to take it on."  
>"If I can just find out how to deal with it-"<br>"It's too dangerous!"  
>"We don't know that for sure, and we won't unless I can find out anything about them. Come on, Naminé." She didn't budge. "Alright, I promise not to try anything without talking it through with you first. Happy?"<br>"You better," she warned reluctantly. "How much further to this hideout?"  
>Roxas took stock of the area, thought for a moment, then took several steps ahead.<br>"We're now right outside it."  
>She peered around at the walls, then shook her head. "I don't see anything."<br>"Of course not. It wouldn't be much of a secret hideout if anyone could find it, would it?"  
>He went to one wall, brushed some dirt off one wall and revealed a small bronze disc, slid aside to reveal a keyhole. One of his keys unlocked it, then he pushed nearby to make an entire section of wall swing back.<br>"After you," he offered, gesturing inside, handing her the torch as she passed. "Light the ones in there, then hand it back. I'll close the door then I'll leave."  
>"You're not going to lock me in, are you?" her worried voice came back to him from inside.<br>"Well, yes, but you can unlock it easier on that side, and there's a spare key behind the fountain anyway. There should still be some probably fresh stuff in the fridge. I think."  
>"If you've got a fridge in here, why not have proper lights instead of torches?"<br>"I haven't gotten around to it yet," he confessed. "I guess it might be a little boring for you, but at least you'll be safe."  
>She reappeared in the doorway, handing the torch back. "You'll come back, won't you?"<br>"Don't be silly, of course I am. I'll keep on doing what I always do; sneaking stuff here for me, except now it'll be for you as well. My secret hideout is your home," he added.  
>"Thanks Roxas. For saving me and all this."<br>"Thank me when the town gets out of danger, and no one's holding me suspect for what happened," he answered, more seriously. "We put everyone in danger, you know."  
>"I know. Go on, you'd better go before someone finds out about this place."<br>He nodded, closing the door and concealing the lock again, then with the torch in one hand he set the skateboard down and headed back into the tunnels. Since they went through all parts of the mountain, all he had to do was head in the right general direction. He knew roughly where the library was outside, and was fairly sure of his own location.  
>The tunnels had a habit of not going in that direction though, often forcing him to go in the wrong direction for a time before letting him get back on course. There were no deliberate dead ends, though cave ins and several unexpected and hastily avoided pits made him turn back to find an entirely different route.<br>The crackling and breathing sounds he'd heard earlier were getting very close now. Roxas slowed his pace, pausing where the path branched to consider following his curiosity to find out what the cause of either was, or continue for the library.  
>It was still some distance to the library from here, and if his vague idea of location was accurate, he was about two terraces from the bottom of the town, and somewhere underneath the central Governmental Offices.<br>He'd have to take a considerable detour if he took the path the sounds were coming from. On the other hand, it would give him time away from the strike above, keeping him safe from it for longer.  
>Worth investigating then. He continued on, pausing to listen at every branch to decide which way to take, trying to keep his mental compass as he went along so he could at least guess where he was.<br>His torch flickered as an errant breeze pushed past him, in time with the sound of breathing. Further down the tunnel, something lit up sharply, throwing the tunnel into bright yellow light for a few moments, matching the crackling he'd also heard.  
>Roxas edged warily toward the branch that he light had come from, flattened against the wall beside it to listen. After a wait, the light flared again, the crackle louder. He realised it had been no errant breeze that had made his torch flicker, it was whatever was breathing, and it had hot breath.<br>Once it passed, he set his torch on the ground so anyone ahead wouldn't notice him, then crept down the tunnel, feeling his way along as he passed beyond the light given by his torch, then stopping when he felt a drop in front of him. With no light to see by, he wasn't going to risk going any further.  
>The breathing was louder here, sounding heavy but weak, as if it was a great effort to manage it. There was a great rush of air, a massive intake of breath, then his view was lit up again.<br>He saw the precipice before him, dropping down to the floor of a cavern of immense proportions, with many other tunnels opening into it, some even exiting onto the floor instead of stopping in the air.  
>He saw the bright plume of red flame, fading through orange to yellow, then white. And he saw the great red beast that had spit it out, laying on that floor as if it had collapsed there. The light of the fire reflected off its scales, creating a show of lights over the walls of the cavern.<br>As the last of the light faded, he saw the massive wings spread over the floor, and the visible eye opened a crack, revealing a single emerald green eye.  
>A dragon... underneath Dragonbarrow. It sounded weak, and looked like it had just fallen there when it had no strength left to keep on going, and hadn't moved since.<br>Roxas waited, letting it vent another flame to see by, just to make sure his eyes hadn't deceived him. They hadn't, and what was more, the eye he'd seen was still open, looking right at him. It struggled to raise it's head, peering at him.  
>He backed away from it, afraid. He might like dragons – but from a distance. Up close, especially with the flames behind them, was not how he wanted to see one.<br>It made a sound like a kind of low rumble, somehow managing to seem querying. Roxas turned and ran, snatching up the torch he'd left behind, almost jumping onto the skateboard and leaving, headed for the library. He wasn't sticking around with a weak dragon – it might get it into it's head to eat him to keep it's strength up.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Nice guesses on the identity of the black dragon, but neither correct, I'm afraid. Not Xion or Xemnas.  
>Had a feeling I couldn't hide the identity of the red one from anyone though. Ah well.<p>

* * *

><p>Roxas emerged out of the tunnels through some crypts, exiting into a graveyard, and from there back out into the main town. There was no one around at all, and little sound except for the tell-tale crackle of something that had been set alight.<br>He headed to the edge of this terrace, figuring his location and finding he'd only been slightly off course. On the other hand, from this vantage point he could see what was left of the library on the terrace below. It was the source of the crackling.  
>A quick look up and down the other terraces showed that nothing else appeared to have been flamed, though he could only see a part of the town from here. With the planned trip to the library literally toasted, he made a round trip of this terrace, looking over the town to find what other damage had been caused.<br>On the opposite side of the mountain, there was the second and only other structure to have been hit. It hadn't been set alight, only damaged. In the roof of one house only, there were gaping holes in the roof that looked as if caused by the dragon perching on it. A closer look revealed it was his house, though there appeared to be no other damage done. It looked like the dragon knew who was responsible. Now he had to worry about that too, on top of everything else.  
><em>What now... where else can I find out about dragons?<br>_There was the official library, but that was on one of the topmost terraces, and generally off-limits to those who didn't live there. Other libraries existed around town, but they were part of various schools, and dealt only in books that related to the courses available – an no course taught anything about dragons, with the possible exception of history. That wasn't going to be much help.  
>Then again... the dragon was nowhere to be seen, so must have broken off its attack. It looked like this news hadn't yet reached the rest of the population, making it the perfect opportunity to try and get into the official library without the Town Guard finding him.<br>Getting out again, now that could be a problem. Especially so if the watch had passed on the identities of those on escort duty, something Nielen would undoubtedly do. He'd have them all questioned carefully until he found out what happened. Nielen wasn't stupid either – as soon as he found out that Sammy was nowhere to be found, and that it had been only him and Sammy up there, he'd know who was responsible.  
>All the more reason to deal with the dragon as soon as possible. The one outside first, then he could worry about the weakened one underneath. It was doubtful anyone knew about that one, but at least in its condition, he had less to worry about. How had it gotten there though?<p>

The official library was the only place in Dragonbarrow where no topic was off-limits or censored, and this was why it was usually restricted access, and even when access was reluctantly given, it was only with an accompanying guard to keep a close watch and guide readers away from the topics that elsewhere would never be shown on the shelves.  
>With the dragonstrike however, the place was deserted. Neat, tidy and well organized, but nevertheless deserted. This added the inconvenience that while it was indeed organized, Roxas had no idea what the system used was and had to guess based on the titles of the books.<br>There were a number of interestingly titled, but irrelevant books, one such volume suggesting that wherever this world was, it knew of the Keyblades. It reminded him briefly of his own, but whatever had brought him here seemed to have stripped him of his ability to call on them. No doubt that had been left behind.  
>In one section, it seemed less like a library, and more like the filing cabinet of a secret police force, lined with slim books that had handwritten titles on the spines, each of them looking like a name. Several of them he recognised, and when he found one bearing his own name his curiosity got the better of him.<br>There seemed to be little inside about him, several pictures of him, a few details about his life here. Nothing suggested anything about a previous life. In red lettering there was a note pointing out he had 'pro-dragon sympathies', with the curious addendum of 'Possible 19 or 22'. The meaning of that was unclear, but gut instinct told him it was probably nothing good.  
>Naminé's file was similarly lacking in information though it had a final note that said she'd been sacrificed, and the file was closed. Unless someone found out about his hideout, they'd have no idea what had happened to her after today.<br>He moved on from that section and back into the main library, picking another set of shelves at random. After a few books, he decided luck was going his way, finding a thick red tome simply entitled 'Dragons'.  
>It wasn't going to be safe to read it here, and he knew this close to the top there were no entrances to the tunnels. They'd hardly let him check it out, and if the guards were after him anyway...<br>He was thankful he'd had the foresight to bring a rucksack from his room along with him, slipping the book inside a compartment on the bottom only accessible from the inside, and then only if you looked carefully. The book stretched it a little, but he managed to fit it in safely.  
>A brief pause to figure out the way back out again, then another at the door to listen. It sounded quiet still, but whether it really was or not... he'd have to chance it until he could get back underground.<br>The terrace outside was still deserted, but with all the gardens and buildings blocking his view, there was no way to tell just how deserted, or for how long it would stay that way. He picked his way quietly to the edge to get a view of the town, one of the best ones from all the way up here, then cursed under his breath.  
>The Town Guard were already back in place at the steps to these top terraces, and more of them were on the way up here. He'd never get out of this by just walking out.<br>From a side pocket of the rucksack he took out a grappling hook, and from the other side a rope. Strictly speaking, he shouldn't have either. They had been ruled illegal, for the same reasons he was about to use them for – climbing up or down from these top terraces. They were still sold by blacksmiths though, as the watch were technically allowed to use them when in pursuit of wanted felons. He'd acquired his while on duty, just in case he ever needed it, and conveniently forgotten to inform anyone he had it.  
>Roxas checked below, finding the ornate gardens of one of the town's elite, then scanned the area between there and the next edge, planning his route as he tied the rope securely onto the hooks.<br>Once hooked over the edge of this terrace, he swung the rope over one arm, and headed down as fast as he dared. A quick jerk of the rope once down released the hook, sending it flying back down to land with a thud uncomfortably close. A risk he'd have to keep on taking – there were still three more terraces before he made it to safety, not to mention the continued risks of the Town Guard, the members of the government, the residents and the various servants that attended their manors.  
>Almost as soon as he hit the floor of the next terrace, he was planning what he'd do once back in the lower town again, safe from the Town Guards.<br>The first stop would definitely be his room again. If the Guards were out, that meant the rest of the town was starting to emerge, and getting caught in possession of a grappling hook was not something he planned on doing.  
>Getting a few things from his room before leaving sounded like a good idea. Some proper lights that had been gathering dust under his bed, waiting for him to install them in the hideout, the radio he'd been given once on a birthday and completely forgotten about – he could use that to listen to any news broadcasts, if it could pick up the signal in the tunnels.<br>The watch had once experimented with radios, but after someone had leaked the channel they were using, it had been bought and sold among all kinds of people, then used to avoid the watch. Some criminals would wait until others were causing a distraction to catch the opportune time to strike. It had quickly been discarded after then, since the previous and once-again current system worked more effectively without it.  
>As he landed at last back in the relative safety of the lower town, he heard a voice from above call out, "Stop right there!"<br>He quickly retrieved the hook, ducking behind a nearby building to get out of sight before he was seen, and so the hook and rope could be hidden away again. Then to be safe, he took several alleyways and side streets until he was on the far side of the terrace, paused to catch his breath, then stepped back out onto the main path, trying to look inconspicuous, and ignoring his racing heart. They hadn't seen him, meaning once he was away from the immediate area, it would be just as suspicious if he was seen running.  
>He noticed the streets were still very quiet, only a few people out. After seeing a small crowd run away from the top of the town, curiosity compelled him to glance back up. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, though the Town Guards were no longer manning the positions he'd seen them taking up not long before.<br>There was definitely something wrong about this. There was still no sign of the dragon, but as he continued down, there also seemed to be no sign of life other than him. After several more nervously crossed terraces, he broke into a run to get back home sooner and get back to Naminé. If the dragon had come back for more, he wasn't going to stick around.  
>But there was no sign of the dragon even when he reached his room. The hook was stowed back in its hiding place behind the headboard of his bed, the radio and lights fished out, then the rest of the space was taken up by a scattering of other belongings he wanted to keep safe in case his home was the next target to be set alight.<br>Just before he left, there was a crunching sound from outside, and a low rumbling sound that made his hair feel like it was standing on end. Trying to make as little sound as possible, he slung the rucksack back onto his back, picked up the skateboard just in case he needed to make a quick exit, and headed out the front door.  
>Then he looked up. The dragon looked down at him, perched on the house opposite his, the long neck snaking down so the head was almost level with the upper floor of the house. The yellow eyes were focused on him.<br>There passed a very long moment that seemed even longer to Roxas where they stared at each other before sense finally overcame terror, putting actions into autopilot with the goal of getting him as far away from it as possible, preferably by getting underground very soon.  
>Behind him, the dragon took off, destroying more of the roof it had been stood on, then flew off. Roxas paid no attention to where it was headed, concentrating fully on running, or in this case skating. He paused only once to relieve himself in a small tunnel along the way, then didn't stop until he reached the hideout.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Nope, not a member of the Organization or even Vanitas either.  
>You know, it's kinda interesting to see just how easy it is to hide the identity of the black dragon - after all, anyone who's played Kingdom Hearts 1 has seen it. That might give it away actually, but I figure it's about time I gave you some clue.<p>

* * *

><p>The rucksack was thrown into a nearby chair, the skateboard kicked into the room and the door shoved closed seemingly all in one fluid motion, then he leaned against it, staring at the floor. Now the fear was starting to pass, he was starting to think clearer.<br>"Roxas? You look like you've seen a ghost, what happened?"  
>It was Naminé, of course. He looked up to her, took a few breaths to compose himself, then answered, "Not a ghost. Dragon. It was staring at me."<br>"The dragon." She said slowly, not quite believing him. He nodded. "The dragon was staring at you."  
>"It was on the roof when I left my home."<br>"Roxas, you were meant to be going to the library."  
>"Gone," he shook his head. "It got burnt down. Had to break into the official library."<br>"Are you nuts?" her voice soared, making him wince. "Do you have any idea what they'll do if they find out?"  
>"Not half as much as if they find out I stole a book from there." Then as if to try to placate her he added, "I brought lights – proper lights so you won't have to put up with the smoke."<br>"Roxas, this is not the time to be talking about the lights!"  
>"Better than talking about dragons," he pointed out, then retrieved the book, along with everything else he'd brought along. "This was the only one that said anything about dragons in the title."<br>"Hold on there. Before you get stuck in there, I want to know what you got up to."  
>He sighed, realising he wasn't getting out of this, then mentally condensed it down.<br>"I left you here, found a red dragon underneath Dragonbarrow, found the library burnt down, went to the official one, got this, went home to pick up some more things, left, saw the black dragon on the roof staring at me and came here. That's it."  
>"There's another dragon?"<br>"I don't think it's much of a threat. It looked pretty weak to me." He frowned, recalling the eye and the unusual questioning sound it had made, then added, "I think there's something more to that one as well. Something about it seemed kinda familiar."  
>"We can deal with that one after the one menacing the town."<br>"I don't know... maybe we should help it. The red one I mean."  
>"Help a dragon. You want to help a dragon."<br>"Yeah. Why?"  
>"Roxas, has it occurred to you that once it got up to health again, it might just turn on us? Dragons aren't trustworthy, we're told that all the time."<br>"I'm not convinced, and won't be until that book says anything to prove it," he disagreed. "They at least seem like intelligent creatures to me. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't turn on anyone who helped it, and if I'm that one, maybe I can convince it to help..." he trailed off, an idea forming. His eyes strayed thoughtfully to the book in hand. "Well now," he murmured beatifically. "Isn't that an interesting thought?"  
>"I can't believe you," Naminé burst out in exasperation. "First you want to take on one dragon, then you want to help another, and now you're planning to use it to do who knows what now?"<br>"Ask," he corrected, "Not use. Ask. I'm pretty sure if we help it, it'll be willing to help us in return, maybe even with the other dragon."  
>"You don't know that it'll do that. For all you know, it could side with the other dragon, and we'd end up paying two sacrifices instead of one!" Naminé shook her head, then continued, "Just drop it, Roxas. If you find something that can help with the first one, you should pass it on to one of the senators; they'll be able to put it past the senate, and they'll decide if it's worth it or not."<br>"How do we know they haven't already done just that?" he argued. "How do we know the entire reason this book was in their library was because they didn't want people like me to find out that just anyone could deal with it?"  
>"It's too dangerous!"<br>"I'm willing to take the risks if it means being rid of the monthly sacrifice. Even if it means helping the weaker dragon. Are you with me?"  
>"Absolutely not! I think you've gone completely insane."<br>"Maybe I have," he shrugged. "But I'm going to do it all the same, whether you're going to help or not."  
>Naminé shook her head again, then took the lights he'd brought along, muttering to herself as she figured out how best to light the hideout with then. Roxas moved a chair nearer to a torch, opened the book to the contents, looking through the chapter headings.<br>It listed:

_Contents_

_About the authors … i  
><em>_Preface … iv  
><em>_Chapter I – A History of Dragonkind … 3  
><em>_Chapter II – The Noble Dragon … 168  
><em>_Chapter III – The Wyrms … 205  
><em>_Chapter IV – The Wyverns … 249  
><em>_Chapter V – Colourations and their Significance … 389  
><em>_Chapter VI – The Dragonkin … 444  
><em>_Chapter VII – On Dealings with Dragons … 487  
><em>_Chapter VIII – Notable Dragons and Dragonkin … 521  
><em>_Chapter IX – Humans through the Eyes of the Dragons … 560  
><em>_Chapter X – The Draconic Language … 602  
><em>_Chapter XI – Closing Notes … 656_

So there was more than one kind of dragon. Were these 'Dragonkin' dragons too? Being separated from the other three chapters suggested they weren't. Either way, it looked like this was going to take longer than he'd first thought.  
>Maybe he'd get better answers direct from a dragon, but there was only one dragon that might consider talking to him – and if this book was anything to go by, he'd need to learn their language before he could understand them.<br>A cursory glance into the opening lines of that chapter said that all kinds of dragons had their own dialect of Draconic, and that if he were thinking of attempting to speak with any, he'd need to know what kind they were. Noble Dragons never deigned to speak the other tongues, while Wyverns spoke all. Wyrms knew the Noble and Wyrm dialects only, and considered being addressed in Wyvern an insult. It seemed obvious that for best results, addressing them in their own tongue was the best course.  
>Knowing their history didn't seem like it was going to do him much good, and at over a hundred and sixty pages, easily the largest chapter of the book, he wasn't going to delve into it unless it became necessary.<br>He was going to have to read through the chapters on the specific kinds of dragon to see which ones he had to deal with here, so opened it to the Noble Dragon, and started to read.

_The Noble Dragon, easily the most majestic of dragonkind, are so named for their temperamental resemblance to noblemen in feudal systems; territorial, proud, arrogant and quick to lash out at those who cause offence. They consider few actions as beneath them, though like such noblemen are not above manipulating others into doing their bidding.  
><em>_Noble Dragons see all other creatures as but servants, and other dragonkind as threats. They hold respect only for the great Wyrms, though only due to their immense resistances to the Noble Dragon's capabilities. Wyverns on the other hand are considered as an insult just allow in their territory, and will be set upon without hesitation. Other Noble Dragons are oft regarded similarly, as their territorial nature gives nothing for cooperation or even getting along. Only the mating season offers any respite to this, but the males are known to ignore it unless a female selects him to father her offspring.  
><em>_When identifying a Noble Dragon, there is one criterion that no other kind possesses; forearms not attached to the wings. These front arms, though the appendages upon them more closely resemble the feet, are as dexterous as human hands, though far more powerful and swifter. These dragons also stand considerably taller than their Wyvern cousins, being the largest of all dragons._

That sounded like an almost perfect description of the dragon terrorising the town. One dragon identified, one left to go.  
>He flicked through the remaining pages on the Noble Dragon, only scanning the text for anything that stuck out about them. There was little of note though, only a few pages describing their unusually limited abilities.<br>The next chapter was on Wyrms. Almost as soon as he began to read, it became apparent that the red dragon was not a Wyrm at all, but it offered some interesting suggestions.

_The great Wyrms are the only kind of dragon that is landbound, possessing no wings to fly with. These dragons are seldom seen, and are highly antagonistic, even more aggressive than the Noble Dragons, but as most of their time is spent out of sight of others, these traits are seldom noticed.  
><em>_Wyrms prefer the dark depths of the land to the open skies, leaving great tunnels behind them as they carve their way through the landscape. As their primary diet consists of various metals, miners often risk their lives to follow Wyrm tunnels in the hopes of finding a seam that it had ignored. This carries the additional risk that some Wyrms double-back to consume such seams later. Coupled with their incredible sense of smell and sight in the dark, escape from a Wyrm attack is highly unlikely.  
><em>_Some Wyrms have however been known to differ from this temperament when a Dragonkin has been present, frequently coming to mutually beneficial agreements whereby it gains the sustenance it requires, and in return allows other humans to mine the metals they ask for. Such agreements are often short lived though, as the Wyrm will eventually move on to find other grounds to feed.  
><em>_Wyrms are highly dependable and honourable, and even if they move on, they will never break an agreement made, whether with human or Dragonkin. Some few have even been known to respect agreements made with other Wyrms, though one should not depend upon this._

The tunnels underneath Dragonbarrow... they'd been there when the town had first been formed. They'd added the tunnels that connected it to the outside world, and added caverns near the surface for them to use, but the actual tunnels had always been there.  
>There were no tool marks on the walls either. They were almost universally rounded, with a flat bottom to them. It seemed likely that a Wyrm had passed through and created the tunnels, but it also seemed unlikely that it was still around.<br>That just left the Wyvern. That last dragon had to be a Wyvern, and so after another cursory glance through the pages, he flicked forward to the Wyvern's chapter.

_The Wyvern, often considered not to be of the dragons, are the most numerous kind, and have the best record of dealings with humans. They are smaller than the Noble Dragon, lacking the forearms and much of the power, but they make up for this with improved agility in the air and far better manoeuvrability.  
><em>_Perhaps most unique about the Wyverns is that any kind of dragon may produce them, as any unfertilized egg may hatch into a Wyvern. The chances of this happening are not high, but as most Wyrms and Noble Dragons lay many eggs, enough of them survive to ensure the continuation of the Wyverns.  
><em>_Wyverns are also known to be the only kind of dragon that speaks and understands all three of the Draconic tongues without issue, something neither Wyrm nor Noble Dragon holds close. They alone hold themselves above petty distinctions, and despite the ill-regard they garner in both of their cousins, they still attempt to get along with them.  
><em>_The most notable trait of Wyverns however lies in the Dragonkin. While Dragonkin naturally hold special regard and in some cases power when it comes to any kind of Dragon, when a Wyvern accepts a Dragonkin as his partner they both gain much from it. The Wyvern becomes empowered, sometimes even enough to take on Noble Dragon, and the Dragonkin may partake of certain traits of the Dragonkind, usually chosen and dependant on the colouration of their partner Wyvern._

A Wyvern. The red dragon was a Wyvern. The weakened condition was explained too now – it had run afoul of either the Wyrm that had created the tunnels, or the Noble Dragon outside. And if what he'd read was accurate, he stood more of a chance getting it to talk to him then he did the Noble Dragon.  
>All he had to do now was figure out how to help it and how to talk about it – though curiosity pointed out that perhaps finding out about these 'Dragonkin' was a good idea too... especially given the connections it had mentioned.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

"Roxas?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Why am I hiding in here?"  
>"Because I stopped them from sacrificing you," he answered absently, continuing to read. The Draconic language did not look easy to learn.<br>"Right. But the dragonstrike is undoubtedly over by now, right?"  
>"Probably."<br>"So until next month, I should be safe."  
>"I guess. If you don't like my company just say so, Naminé. I won't mind."<br>"It's not your company, it's your obsession with dragons and the stupid idea you can do something about it."  
>"Actually-" he began, looking up from the book.<br>"I'm not interested," she cut him off. "You don't even know if you can trust that book."  
>"One way to find out," Roxas shrugged. "I think it's more possible than I did before after reading a bit of this."<br>"What can I do to convince you to give it up, Roxas?"  
>"I dunno," he shrugged again. "If I come up with anything I'll let you know. If you're not planning on coming back, you can give me the spare key back though."<br>"Would you mind if I kept it for now? I don't know if I'll be accepted again, since I'm meant to have been eaten."  
>"Nothing personal, but... how do I know you're not just going to tell the watch what happened, where to find me, and give that to them?"<br>"I can't believe you'd think I'd do that. You're my friend, even if you have gone mad. I'd never turn you in."  
>"Alright, but what about the watch? They're likely to ask you how you got free."<br>"I'll tell them the cuffs weren't put on tight enough."  
>"That'd get me into trouble – the others who went with us know I was the one who had to put them on you."<br>"Then..." she hesitated momentarily, then continued, "Then I'll tell them you told the other guard to put them on me. No matter what they say, I won't put you in trouble, Roxas."  
>"And the key?"<br>"You're not being fair, Roxas. If I tell them it's mine, they'll ask me what it goes to, and if I tell them I found it, they'll take it and try to find what it unlocks."  
>"Which is exactly why I want you to leave it behind, Naminé." He fished in one pocket, then pulled out his house key. "Here. Take it. You can stay in my room if you need a place to stay, and I'll try to come and check up on you if I can make it safely. If you're there, then I'll bring you back with me."<br>"I don't know where your place is," she objected.  
>"Just look for the houses with the holes in the roof. The one closer to the top of the town is mine. You can't miss it."<br>She sighed, but nodded, taking the house key and returning the spare hideout key.  
>"Don't do anything stupid Roxas. I know you're set on this, but..."<br>"I know. I'll take care of myself."  
>She unhooked one of the two torches still lit, listened at the door for a moment, then left. The only other light now came from the string of lights over the roof of the cave. It was lighter than the torches had been, and showed that some parts of the hideout were already starting to show signs of turning out like his bedroom had.<br>He felt somewhat bad for making her hand over the key, but it would be safer this way. He doubted his mother would turn Naminé away if she found out. If she noticed she was there at all, he doubted she'd even noticed the dragonstrike.  
>He trusted her not to turn him in, and without the hideout key unless he opened the door, no one had any idea he was here. It had taken him some time to get perfect, but up until now time had never been a problem. If he'd still been working on it now, the pressure would have been on to get it done...<br>Roxas turned back to the book, flicking forward again. He'd looked up the colours of the two dragons he'd be dealing with already. The black Noble Dragon embodied the two aspects of poison and darkness, while the red Wyvern fitted the classical dragon with fire as its element. Coupled with his suspicions, this gave a few suggestions as to just why it was so familiar to him.  
>Now though, he wanted to learn about the Dragonkin. Everything he'd read so far pointed toward their being humans with special affinities for dragons, but there was little more than this mentioned. If he wanted to find out more, this was where he had to look.<p>

_Dragonkin is a collective name for those humans among us who relate to the Dragonkind better than most. Understanding on what constitutes a Dragonkin is scarce, limited only to the theoretical and the unverified. Some have said that the blood of the Dragons runs in them, others have suggested that there is a recessive genetic trait that seldom surfaces. Whatever the reasons, they are split into two broader categories, known among the Dragons as the Jacks and the Masters.  
><em>_The term 'Jacks' may have sprung from the human phrase 'Jack of all trades', and it is perhaps the most accurate description. As suggested, these Dragonkin do not specialise in any single kind of dragon, and are instead capable of working with all kinds. Jacks gain fewer benefits from any dragon than the Masters, but their broader coverage gives them the ability to combine the powers of more than one kind of dragon, and indeed more than one colour of dragon.  
><em>_However, as neither Noble Dragon or Wyrm have much liking for humans, Jacks that have any relation to either are exceptionally rare among an already rare minority of humans. Overall though, one is more likely to encounter a Jack than a Master.  
><em>_The far less common Masters, as no doubt already gathered, are always specific to a single kind of dragon, known as their totem dragon. They can delve deeper into the secrets granted by their totem dragon, and are the only ones who can partner themselves with one of these dragons to gain yet more benefits.  
><em>_Partnering is done only by mutual agreement, and thus as would be expected Wyvern Masters are the most commonly seen Dragonkin. Noble Masters should rightfully be held in deep respect due to the nature of the Noble Dragons, and Wyrm Masters no less so just for finding a Wyrm willing to partner. This does not demean the Wyvern Masters in any way however, as common as the Wyverns may be, Master Dragonkin are the least likely to have a Wyvern as their totem dragon.  
><em>_Masters do not have the option of choosing their totem dragon, and most are not even aware of their kinship. Guiding signs that may suggest the possibility of being a Master include an affinity for dragons, the Draconic language coming to them almost as naturally as their native tongue, unusually sharp sight and hearing.  
><em>_The most notable sign, and the only certain one can only be found during the first month after birth. Newborns that appear to have a single dragon's scale matching their skin colour at the lower part of their back will undoubtedly be a Master of one dragon or another. After the first month though this scale will have disappeared, making it impossible to tell for certain after then.  
><em>_Some Masters go through their entire life completely oblivious to their nature and the secrets they could unlock, and those who do discover it will most time find it completely by accident. Those rare individuals who manage to learn of it usually discover much about their totem dragon and what they stand to gain before starting their own quest to find their partner – though there have been two known Masters at the time of writing known to have turned down this fate and went on to lead normal lives.  
><em>_On coming into direct contact with a dragon, most Masters have a chance to gain some few traits of that dragon, dependant on the kind and colour of the dragon. A Blue Noble Dragon for example, may confer the powerful ability to breath underwater, while a Blue Wyrm will allow the ability to detect water while tunnelling, to avoid opening the tunnel into open water – a somewhat lesser power, but useful nevertheless. A full range of possibilities may be seen in the chapter regarding dragons and their colours, though Masters should take care to note that these are merely guidelines, and the actual abilities gained may vary, or possibly not even be listed there.  
><em>_When partnered, Masters gain further abilities, ones not available to Jacks or Masters of other dragons, even to those Masters who share the same Dragonkind in common. These abilities too vary by colour, but also by the personalities and the depth of the kinship between partners. New partners may only have a few additional abilities, while long-time partners who have rarely had rough times will be formidable foes to cross, with potentially devastating abilities.  
><em>_When this partnership deepens, it sometimes becomes possible for the reverse to take place, with the Master lending some of his own traits to their partner dragon. These incidents have not happened often or within the lifetimes of the authors, and so is considered to be but a legend – but such a legend must surely have some basis in fact. Therefore, Masters would do well to remember this, but be aware that it may never happen.  
><em>_Once a Master is partnered with a dragon, it becomes an irrevocable bond, binding their two lives together for all time. For this reason, entering into a such partnership must be considered with utmost care, as there exists no way to break one afterwards – even death cannot part them, for as long as one lives, so too does the other. Only by ending both within moments of each other can true death happen. This alone may allow a Master to live far beyond the normal lifetime, up to the end of the natural lifetime of their partner dragon. These extended lifetimes are not known, and questioning dragons on the matter has not been fruitful. It is known to be in excess of some three centuries in some cases, providing some idea of just how long a Master may live for if care is taken to avoid one's enemies._

The words seemed to play back to him in his own voice, echoing inside his head as he looked up from the book, already thinking over what he'd learned from just this small introductory part of the Dragonkin chapter.  
>An affinity for dragons and for their language. Both were true of him – he'd picked up the language from the book almost startlingly quick even though he'd never seen or heard it before, and Naminé would no doubt confirm his affinity. Sight and hearing? Well, it was possible. Sometimes it did seem like he noticed things before anyone else.<br>There was no way to confirm the last sign though, unless it had been recorded in his file back in the official library – and now that people were undoubtedly back out and about, that was totally out of the question.  
>But if this was accurate... whatever had weakened that red dragon had left it without much strength and it could die – if his suspicions were correct though, it was unlikely that there'd be any reason for them not to partner, and if they did that, he could save it.<br>There shouldn't be many people left in the tunnels by now, and fewer still close to where the dragon was. If it was still alive, he could use the sound of its breathing and occasional flaming to return to it again.  
>He emptied the rucksack first though, filling it with various chunks of wood, even breaking down a chair into pieces to fill up the last of the space. He'd need something to light so they could see by.<br>The book on dragons was hidden carefully away behind several other books on the small shelves, then he slung the rucksack back onto his back with several wooden clunks, took the last torch and headed back out into the tunnels on the skateboard again. He didn't want to get there only to find he'd been too late.


	8. Chapter 8

The periodic crackle of fire that had previously accompanied the Wyvern's short bursts of flame were much fewer, and very faint now, even this close. Though it was difficult to tell, Roxas was certain he recognised where he was, and knew last time it had been much louder.  
>Even the breathing was subdued, barely audible over the quieter crackling of his own torch. There was a sense of urgency now, having to hurry to reach the Wyvern before it was too late – he doubted the Noble Dragon would talk to him, much less consider partnering with him if he was a Dragonkin. Even if he did do that though, it wouldn't be seen favourably by the townsfolk. If anything, he'd become even more of an enemy.<br>Not that he had any plans to see that dragon, not yet. This one was the immediate concern, he had to reach it soon, help it recover from whatever had left it so weak it could barely flame. The book had given him little indication toward what might heal a dragon, but if he was in the small minority of Dragonkin that had the Wyvern as their totem dragon, there was one way. And if his suspicions were right, there was little doubt neither of them would pass that up.  
>A very small flash as he passed a junction showed he was very close to where he'd first met it. He needed to find a way down to the cavern floor. There was no way he was going to ask it to lower him down, not in its condition.<br>Thankfully, there was a direct route sloping downwards that led out onto the floor not far from it. The small light of his torch reflected off the red scales, enhancing the light just enough to make out its form ahead of him, barely moving. Roxas ignored it for the moment though, emptying the wood he'd brought along and arranging it haphazardly into a small heap, then lighting it with the torch, which was then extinguished – he'd light it again when it came time to leave.  
>Once the fire caught, the cavern was brightened considerably. From here he could see wounds he hadn't before, in some places there were deep gashes that looked only partially healed, the scales around such areas removed. Other patches of scales were darkened, almost blackened as if seared by fire – but such a fire would have to be incredibly hot; red dragons had the strongest resistance to fire attacks. Whatever had attacked it, hadn't been kind to it. Given the treatment other dragons gave Wyverns, he wasn't surprised by that.<br>He moved on alongside the body, eyes flicking ahead warily in case it didn't recognise him, but it seemed unwilling to move, either due to lack of interest or strength. Eventually he followed the neck up to the head. Some few of the scales beside the eye glistened, as if newly cleaned... or if it had been crying. Did dragons cry? The book said nothing about it that he recalled, but that was neither confirmation of their ability to, or lack thereof.  
>Finally, he could keep it back no longer, hesitating only for a moment to decide whether to speak toward the eye or the ear, then settled for somewhere between the two and said, "Axel? Is that you?" The eye snapped open completely, head raised up in an instant, scanning the area rapidly. "Down here," Roxas added.<br>Now it looked back down again, seeing him and offering a rough lick at one cheek. "Cut that out!" he laughed, knowing it was his friend now.  
>"<em>I thought I'd scared you off,"<em> Axel said. Now Roxas knew the Draconic language, he was able to interpret and understand him. _"After you saw me earlier..."  
><em>"I didn't recognise you," Roxas answered. "And I kinda wasn't expecting to find you down here, or anyone else for that matter. What happened to you?"  
>"<em>You can understand me?"<em> he seemed startled.  
>"Oh, naturally," he replied offhand. "Comes easily to Dragonkin like me. Now come on, tell me what happened to you. You look terrible."<br>"_You tell me what happened to you afterwards," _Axel warned, then continued, _"Last thing I remember was fading away after helping Sora - remember him, your Somebody? - get into our castle. Next thing I know, I'm lying here, remembering a life as a Wyvern I never had. If I believe that then I got attacked up top by some great black dragon and hid down here, then got attacked down here by another dragon, if you can believe that."  
><em>"Let me guess, the black one was a Noble Dragon, and the one down here was a Wyrm?"  
>"<em>Alright Roxas, just how do you know about them and the Dragonkin?"<br>_"Similar thing happened to me. I was just sitting around inside Sora without anything to do, made a wish, then when I wake up the morning after I'm here leading my own life."  
>"<em>And knowing about Dragons just like that?"<br>_"Nah, I found a book here that tells me all kinds of interesting things about dragons. Even about Dragonkin. And I think I am one too."  
>"<em>Jack or Master?"<em> he asked with interest.  
>"I have no idea, and no way to find out. That is unless..."<br>"_Unless what?"  
><em>Roxas grinned, held out one hand and just said, "Partners?"  
>"<em>You know you can't go back on it."<br>_"I know. But if I read right, it'll get you back on your feet again in no time."  
>Axel looked down to the offered hand, then with some effort hauled himself upward and just beyond the range of the visible light for a moment, then as he lacked arms placed one foot lightly on Roxas's hand.<br>"_Partners it is,"_ he agreed. Roxas felt a momentary surge in his arm, then sharply felt something – several somethings – lash at him, some parts of him felt extremely hot, and then just as suddenly as it had started it faded, leaving his vision seem tinted slightly red and stronger. He could see into some of the shadows he hadn't before, and there was a faintly hot feeling in his throat.  
>"What <em>was<em> that?" he breathed, looking himself over. There appeared to be no difference at all at first, until he turned over this left arm, the one that had been touched by Axel. Three lines of red scales matching Axel's own ones went from just below the elbow to above the wrist.  
>"<em>Looks like I've left a mark on you, partner. And it looks like you were right too. My injuries seem to have been cleaned up."<em> He reared up, then let loose a massive flame that was so bright it left afterglows in Roxas's eyes for some time afterwards. When they finally cleared, he saw the roots of many plants in the roof of the cavern had been set alight, and the rocks beyond them were a sooty black. _"I haven't been able to do that in _ages_!" _ he exclaimed, genuinely happy. _"Brighter than it was before too!"  
><em>"I think I know why – take look at your back, Axel," Roxas said, pointing to the new line of ridges that ran down the middle of his back. They weren't the same bright red the rest of his scales were, but instead a bright white. "Looks like I've given you a bit of my light."  
>"<em>I thought that was meant to be a myth, even among dragons,"<em> Axel remarked. _"It needs a deep friendship between the partners to achieve."  
><em>"Which we do sorta have."

After some time catching up with each other and generally joking around like they had done before, Roxas started get a little restless.  
>"Wonder what's going on up on the surface," he thought aloud.<br>"_Didn't you say they were looking for you?"  
><em>"Yeah, probably. Especially if they've found out it was me who stole the book on dragons. I'm not going to let that bother me, I'm only really thinking of going up and checking up on Naminé, maybe pick up a few things."  
>"<em>Hey, Roxas."<em> Axel asked suddenly. _"Don't suppose they do our ice-cream here, do they?"  
><em>"I don't think so, but I'll have a look. Anyway, are you sure you can have them? You might melt them first."  
>"<em>Guess that's what I get for being a hothead, huh? Least I got you still."<br>_"And Naminé too. Though, she kinda thinks I'm insane."  
>"<em>What for?"<br>_"Liking dragons. The monthly sacrifice sort of ensures they're sort of against the whole idea of dragons, let alone their being friendly and something like us... its probably completely unheard of."  
>"<em>And she thinks the same way?"<br>_"Seems like it. I'm the only one that likes you guys."  
>Axel shook his head, <em>"Damn Noble Dragons... you know they don't even get anything out of eating humans? They do it just as a show of dominance over humans. Stupid if you ask me. I'd like to give her a piece of my mind, but after last time..."<br>_"Stay here for a bit longer, Axel. Spend a little longer recovering. I'll have a read up on what we should and could be able to do, then maybe we'll do it together."  
>"<em>Sounds good to me. I take it you're going back up to the surface then?"<br>_"Yeah, why?"  
>"<em>Make sure you get plenty to eat, will you? It'll give me a hand too, though nothing really beats getting a meal myself, but if I can't leave safely... anyway, pass my regards to Naminé while you're there, see what she says now you and I are partners."<br>_"She'll think I'm making it up probably," he laughed. "But I'll see if I can bring her to see you."  
>"<em>Roxas – before you leave, try something for me? Grab that torch of yours and breath on it."<br>_It was an unusual request, but he found out the extinguished torch, took a deep breath and breathed on it. The hot feeling in his throat seemed intensify, and a small flame came out with the breath, setting the torch alight.  
>After a few moments surprise he shrewdly asked, "You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?"<br>"_I had some idea. Thought you might like to know before you left."  
><em>"Thanks, Axel."  
>"<em>What I'm here for."<em>


	9. Chapter 9

Roxas chose a new route out of the tunnels this time, emerging not far from from the upper terraces. It was known that between the lowest the Town Guard protected and the terraces officially patrolled by the watch, there was one terrace where neither went. The watch were meant to patrol it, but as the Town Guards were often closer to hand it was more often left up to them.  
>Since crime in that region had more or less broken off, it was about the only safe place in the whole of Dragonbarrow where he could go without having to worry about either trying to arrest him – provided he avoided the places he would be in sight of them.<br>There was no indication yet that they were looking for him, but he knew Nielen. The watch at least would be looking for him to find out what he'd done during his escort duty, especially after the Noble Dragon's exceptionally precise attack.  
>From the relative safety of this vantage, he could see the town had returned to a relatively normal state. The main routes were already heading toward their usual evening bustle as most headed home, broken only by the night watch heading the other way to go on duty. Before long, he'd be able to use the descending darkness to get home easier.<br>The moon rose behind the volcano's peak, not quite full yet. With his vision still holding the faint red tint it had gained when he'd partnered with Axel, he noticed more to it than he had before. It was hard to see, just hovering on the edge of visibility, but there appeared to be a very faint outline against the moon, something shimmering in the air between him and it. It looked almost like another dragon, but transparent? There was nothing like this in the book, not even the chapter on the different colours suggested any kind that could do anything like this. He blinked, then it seemed to have gone again. There was no longer anything there. Had he even seen it in the first place, or was he just seeing things?  
>He shook himself, then judged it to be dark enough to start heading home. Only a good dozen terraces before he reached the one with his home on – a good dozen and more chances for the night watch to catch him.<br>The night watch were in some ways more dangerous than the day watch. The most crime happens at night when there's a veil of darkness adding another layer of cover, with the light from lamps and carried torches not always revealing all of the areas. Due to this, night watchmen were more acutely aware of their surroundings and more ready to resort to force before finding out just what their suspect was doing out this late.  
>On the other hand, they were also less dangerous, as there was little communication between the night and day watches beyond the reports and they were fewer in number. There was a chance that he, like several others in the past, would be able to go by unchallenged if the day watch had not let them know he was to be brought in.<br>Only a handful of watchmen were ever on duty at each of the watch houses during the night, most of the force being out patrolling the streets in an attempt to stop crime before it happened.  
>Roxas quickly found that the lowlight vision he'd noticed back in Axel's cavern had remained with him. Where there was little or no light around to see by, anything alive was outlined in an orange aura, making it easy to pick out anyone else out and about this late at night.<br>He started off keeping away from the wide boulevards that made up the many straight main routes that lead from top to bottom, taking side routes, smaller paths and some alleyways, some more fragrant than others. Since the only safe routes from one terrace to the next lay along those paths though, he was forced back onto them every time without his grapple.  
>Two terraces down and he drew back into the shadows as a patrol came up the steps from the previous one, patiently waiting for them to pass. As they approached, he overheard their voices.<br>"Found in one of the damaged houses, I heard."  
>"How did she get out of it, I wonder?"<br>"Beats me, but rumour says one of the watchmen on the day watch let her go, and that's why the attack happened."  
>"No one would do anything that stupid, surely? I mean everyone knows the dragon attacks if we don't give it what it asks for."<br>"Someone must have done it then."  
>"But the day watch... I just can't see any of them doing it, they're so... dedicated to their duty."<br>"There's another theory going around," another voice chimed in. "Says there's some outsiders who showed up recently. You know what they always think if they find out about it..."  
>The voices began to fade as they passed out of sight, so he crept closer to them, edging along the wall of the buildings nearby to keep in range.<br>"You know what will happen now, of course."  
>"Yeah, the Town Guards will be told, and one of them will tell the senate."<br>"Not the senate. It goes right up to the Minister, I was told."  
>"Come off it, the Minister's just a myth. We haven't had one for four hundred years now."<br>"No one said he's dead though," the first argued.  
>"No one lives that long."<br>Then the voices were gone again.  
><em>Four hundred years, and not dead... our Minister is a Master too?<br>_His eyes strayed to the volcano. There was only one other dragon known to be in the area... and if the Minister was its Master he'd have to take out both in order to finish either of them off.  
>The area immediate area was clear, so he put that from his mind and continued down, the first part of the conversation left behind, forgotten after the revelation.<p>

There was little to trouble him on the remainder of the trip down, only the periodic delays as he kept out of sight of the patrols and the occasional resident out late at night on their own business – legal or not wasn't his concern.  
>What was his concern were the watchmen on guard at either end of the road he lived on. Four at each end, and they were from the day watch too. Worse yet, stood outside his own home was Captain Nielen, talking with someone who appeared to be Xaldin, if his eyes didn't deceive him.<br>Cautious faces peeked out from several windows, eyeing the watchmen warily. Roxas glanced up to his own bedroom window, for only the briefest moment spotting Naminé pop into view to look around, then duck back out of sight again.  
>At least she was safe, that much was obvious, but there was no way he'd be able to get to her without going through the guards, and no doubt they'd try to stop him. What he needed was a distraction, but how to cause one?<br>It took him a few moments to realize he had the means right with him, though some of the potential outcomes bothered him. He had to get to Naminé though, or at least back to his room before they found him.  
>He headed back down the road opposite his own, turning down a side path to the next one over, then examined the building opposite, a set of stables. Horses were uncommon here, but they were provided for all the same.<br>These stables were occupied by only one white mare, who seemed disturbed by his presence, kicking at her stall and tugging at the rope which kept her there. Roxas glanced outside to ensure no one could see, then breathed lightly on the rope with a tiny flame, just enough to burn through it and set the mare loose.  
>He ducked down into one of the unoccupied stalls once she'd bolted out into the town in case anyone came investigating, but it seemed that no one had noticed.<br>The rest of the stables were filled mostly with supplies of hay. It was a solid wooden construct, likely to withstand most things – but not fire, he reasoned. It took him only a few moments to set several small stacks of hay on fire, then a few supporting beams, and then he hurriedly left as it started to spread. On the way out, one beam above him fell on him, jarring one arm. He ignored it, getting out of there and away from it before people came running.  
>Once he'd withdrawn into the shadow of a dead-end alleyway, he examined the arm. A small mark where the burning beam had impacted it, but no sign of a burn anywhere along it. He must have picked up a resistance to fire too.<br>He headed deeper into the shadows as shouts and footsteps came close. Several orange blurs passed by the mouth of the alley as people headed for the fire, then a larger group of orange, puffing and clinking, passed as a nearby night patrol followed.  
>Roxas cautiously approached the mouth and peeked out toward the fire, then seeing no one looking this way he made a dash for the next road over, and looked down toward his own road. The watchmen were all gone.<br>Being incautious would cost him he knew, so paused again at the end of the road, checking for anyone still in sight. Xaldin wasn't far away, but he was focused on directing the efforts to put the fire out, or at least keep it under control. His loud voice was used as a cover to get past behind them without being heard.  
>He didn't look back after that, heading right for the door. It was locked, and he remembered too late that he'd given his key to Naminé. The back door, leading on to the small garden behind, wasn't locked though. Reaching it meant risking being seen again, but there was little choice.<br>The high wall that blocked off the first garden was quickly scaled, dropping him down onto a gravelled garden beyond with a loud crunch. It was difficult to say if anyone noticed, so he continued on, climbing the lower walls that separated the gardens from here on. One of them had a hedge alongside the wall that had grown over it. For a moment, he considered burning through it, but decided against it, instead using a garden table to leap over it and into the next garden, only narrowly escaping harm.  
>The next garden was thankfully his own. He let himself in through the back door, noticing that aside from a few additional dishes waiting to be cleaned, downstairs hadn't changed at all. Either his mother was working later than usual, or she'd stopped leaving her stuff downstairs.<br>He ignored this for now, taking the stairs two at a time. Naminé had been looking out the window at the fire, but turned sharply when he entered.  
>"Roxas! You shouldn't be here, they're looking for you!"<br>"I know," he answered. "I expected it. Are you alright?"  
>"I'm fine, but you've got to get out of here before they get back!"<br>"They're not going to be coming back any time soon. That fire I set will keep them busy."  
>"<em>You<em> set those stables on fire?"  
>"I needed a distraction to get in here. Naminé, you won't believe what happened. Remember that red dragon I told you about?"<br>"Roxas-" she began, but he waved a hand to cut her off.  
>"I'll be quick, just listen! It turned out to be Axel, and I'm one of these Dragonkin. He and I are partners – look," he added, showing the lines of scales on his arm when he saw her sceptical expression. "I got them when we partnered."<br>"This isn't some kind of trick, is it?"  
>"Could a trick do this?" he asked, blowing a small flame. "Or get out of a fire without a mark on him? Its really real, Naminé. We can trust Axel."<br>"The question is, can we trust you?" a voice said from the bedroom door, making him freeze quicker than an Arctic winter would have. "Come quietly Roxas, and I'll drop the charge of arson you just confessed to," Nielen added.


	10. Chapter 10

Nielen steered him back outside and between four of his watchmen, leaving Naminé behind in the questionable care of Xaldin along the way.  
>"I'll accept your word you won't try your fire breathing trick," he told Roxas. "That is, unless you want a dozen crossbows pointed at you."<br>"Pointed at or fired at?" Roxas muttered.  
>"Town law says that I'm quite within rights to have you killed just for being a confirmed Dragonkin. I would rather you were alive for now, but I'd advise you to consider your actions carefully if you don't want to become a pincushion."<br>"That's blunt enough."  
>"I imagine questioning you for the details of your kinship would be fruitless?"<br>"Completely. Its really none of your business anyway."  
>Nielen nodded. "I thought so, but I'm obliged to ask all the same. Have you eaten yet?"<br>"No, why?"  
>"I'll have a meal sent down to you after we're done questioning you."<br>"You're going to put me in a cell," he said, not quiet believing what he was hearing.  
>"Officially, you'll be under arrest for being a Dragonkin, but so long as you don't try anything we'll call it protective custody – protecting you from the mob that will undoubtedly form the moment word about you gets out, and protecting the town from you."<br>"Then what?"  
>"Then we see what the Minister says. I'm told she's quite put out with you."<br>His reply was cut off by a sharp wave of one hand in front of him as they entered the watch house. As usual for this hour, there were two officers of the night watch on duty at the front desk. A brief and hushed conversation was held between them and Nielen as the remainder of the watchmen that had been standing guard on his road filed in and around behind him.  
>A curt gesture from Nielen sent the first four off to the Mess, while the remaining four guided him into the corridors leading to the cells, interrogation rooms and various private offices. Rumour had it Nielen had colonised an interrogation room for his office because it helped him predict what criminals would do next.<br>Roxas got shown to one of the unused interrogation rooms, which was naturally severely plain, holding three chairs and a desk. He took the one by itself, while Nielen and one of the other watchmen he didn't recognise took the other, poising a pen above a pad ready to write.  
>Nielen nodded to the watchman, who began to write the details of this session, then murmured, "Ready when you are, Captain."<br>"You know why you are here, Roxas?" Nielen asked Roxas.  
>"I can think of two possibilities," he answered. "What I am, and what I did. Take your pick."<br>"In this instance, it is the latter. Would you care to tell us what that is?"  
>"I stopped Naminé from being sacrificed," he shrugged, noting his exact words being taken down on the pad. There wasn't much point in trying to get out of it, not if Nielen was taking this up personally.<br>"Why?"  
>"She's my friend."<br>"Of all those sent to the dragon, no one has ever had a friend prevent it – not even those in either of the watches. What makes you so different?"  
>"I'm not different. I just took action where everyone else is too afraid to."<br>"And you caused a dragonstrike," Nielen pointed out.  
>"Which burnt down one library and left damage to the roof of two homes, if you exclude the disruptions caused by its appearance. As far as I'm aware no one was injured, though I've not exactly been paying attention to them."<br>"For the record, you are correct, but that isn't the point."  
>"Then what is, Nielen? Why do we pay a sacrifice to a dragon when it could so easily be dispatched?"<br>"How often do you pay attention to your history lessons, Roxas?"  
>"I generally don't. No one makes it interesting enough."<br>"If you'd learned anything, you'd know that in the first month after the sacrifice was agreed on, a great many lives were lost in trying to kill the dragon."  
>"None of them were Dragonkin though."<br>"What makes you so sure you're a Dragonkin?"  
>"I didn't say I was."<br>"Nevertheless, you have been suspected of being one since birth. I myself watched you breath a small flame in your room before apprehending you, not to mention you told Naminé you 'partnered' with a red dragon before I identified myself to you."  
>"Yes? And your point is?"<br>"Contrary to your statement to Naminé, the flame could have been but a trick, and the partnering may simply be a statement and not fact."  
>Roxas turned over his left arm, displaying the three lines of red scales. "Then here. They showed up when I partnered with the dragon."<br>The other watchman glanced up momentarily, seeing this then returning to the pad, describing what he'd seen. Nielen patiently waited for him to finish before continuing.  
>"Since you have stated you partnered with a dragon, we can assume you are of the Master Dragonkin. Therefore, I must ask what your totem dragon is."<br>"You can ask. Don't expect an answer though. I already told you before we came in here I wasn't going to discuss what you called my kinship."  
>Nielen leaned his elbows on the table, steepling his hands and resting his chin on them. "Roxas, the town is already at threat of one dragon as you already know. The mere fact that you have partnered with another dragon means we are at threat of two dragons, and we need to be prepared for it."<br>"Why?" Roxas asked scornfully. "So you can kill him? Trap him? Drive him off? I won't do it. He's not just my best friend, he's my partner. I won't let you do anything to him, and I won't tell you anything that'll give you any kind of edge against him."  
>"I'm willing to drop all charges against you if you'll reconsider."<br>"I'm willing to toast you where you sit if you try to bribe me again," he countered bluntly. "Or at the very least make things hot for you until you get the point. I won't tell you anything about my kinship or my partner."  
>"I think that concludes this interview then. You can consider yourself charged with endangering the town and populace, interfering with the sacrifice, and being a Dragonkin. Due to the severity of the last, you'll be put in a cell while we advise the Minister of this until your sentence is decided."<br>"And what will happen to Naminé?"  
>"She is in protective custody. The Minister will be informed that we have her safely."<br>"Then what?"  
>"That is for the Minister to decide." Nielen stood, opening the door. "You will go with them to your cell. At this point, I should warn you once more not to try anything because they are ordered to shoot you if you do. And Roxas?"<br>"What?"  
>"Don't get any ideas about calling your partner to break you out, either."<br>"How am I meant to call him if I'm in a cell? He does what he wants, but if he finds out about this anything he does is _your_ fault – not mine. You're the one doing this to me. You should be putting yourself on a charge of endangering the town just for that."  
>"Very amusing," he replied drily. "Take him away."<br>The cells were little more than a series of barred off enclosures, separated by solidly constructed walls underneath the main watch house itself. He knew them, he'd once had to bring someone in to one of them.  
>Already he was planning ahead as the four watchmen put him in one. The bars were only metal, he could burn through them. He'd just have to incapacitate the watchmen first.<br>The watchmen had other ideas, however. True to Nielen's word, two of them stood guard with a pair of crossbows trained on him. They stood against the wall opposite the bars of his cell, putting themselves out of reach. He might still be able to get through the bars, but not without getting shot. Even if being partnered with Axel did prevent him from getting killed unless Axel suffered the same. Getting shot was not an interesting way to spend time, he reasoned.  
>Not long after, Nielen came down and handed him the promised meal. It may just have been pizza, but at least he'd get something to eat. As he sat there, he wondered idly what was going to happen to him.<br>Then quietly, to himself, he murmured, "I wish Axel knew what was going on."

Roxas had dozed off as the night wore on, having had a long an interesting day. Heavy sleeper as he might have been, no one could sleep through a loud crunch that shook the building, followed by several crunching sounds.  
>Both he and the two watchmen on duty looked up at the ceiling curiously. Several thin streams of dust were already petering out. The watchmen's curiosity turned to anxiety when there was an almighty roar from above. Had the Noble Dragon showed up again? Unless...<br>There was a more metallic crash of someone almost falling down some stairs, then a somewhat disturbed looking Nielen came into view.  
>"You did this, didn't you?"<br>"Did what? I've just been woken up by it. Just ask your watchmen, they'll tell you."  
>The two reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement.<br>Nielen hesitated, then, "Stay here, and keep an eye on him."  
>Then he was gone again. Not the Noble Dragon then. But <em>a<em> dragon. And he suspected he knew who. He kept it from showing though, trying to at least appear to be unknowing.  
>"<em>Where is Roxas?"<em> Axel's voice came to him. Of course, unless any of them knew the Draconic language, let alone the Wyvern dialect of it, only he would understand. _"Well, hurry up about it then, I'm not going to just sit around here all day while you gape at me. Anyone would think you'd never seen a dragon before."  
><em>Roxas tried not to show his understanding, or to smile after hearing that. It was just the sort of thing Axel would say.  
>Nielen came back into view followed by Xaldin and the remainder of the day watch he'd commandeered for the night to take him in, unlocking the cell.<br>"Come with me," he told Roxas, clearly agitated. "I'm warning you Roxas, this is not a good time for sudden movements, let alone trying any of your tricks."  
>"I wish you'd stop threatening me," he complained, yawning. "You've made your point. What do you need me for?"<br>"You're a Dragonkin," Xaldin answered shortly. "You can translate."  
>"<em>What took you so long?"<em> Axel grumbled as they emerged into the low morning light. _"And what happened to you?"_ he added on seeing Roxas from his rooftop perch. Just like the Noble Dragon had, his head was hovering just above the street staring down at them.  
>"I got arrested, obviously," he replied, ignoring the guards around him. "What are you doing here?"<br>"Hold on there," Nielen interrupted. "Just what did it say?"  
>"<em>He<em> asked what took you so long, and what happened to me," Roxas told him, not liking the continued 'it' Nielen used, then turned back to Axel.  
>"<em>I had this weird hunch that something had happened to you, so I squeezed out through the tunnels until I found my way out of the old mine entrance. Something told me you were in this building – don't ask me what, I don't know."<br>_Roxas glanced surreptitiously at the other watchmen. They were all focused on Axel. He winked at Axel, then said, "He says he heard a rumour there was a Dragonkin being held against his will, so decided to help me get out of it."  
>"How did he hear it? He's a dragon," one of the others pointed out.<br>"Never mind that," Nielen answered. "What does he want?"  
>"<em>I don't know about you, but I'd settle for stealing you off them. Tell them your creative translation again, and I'll play along with whatever you come up with."<br>_Roxas grinned, then 'translated': "He said to free me, or he's going to find out what toasted humans look like, and that because of my own partnership with my own dragon, I'll survive it because I've got an immunity to fire."  
>As if to emphasise, Axel blew some hot air at them. He got the feeling that Axel was enjoying this.<br>"I can't give you up just like that Roxas," Nielen shook his head. "Not until we hear what's to be done with you from the Minister."  
>Axel glanced up over them. They followed his gaze, turning to see a group of Town Guards approaching, their signature pikes held ready. One of them stepped warily forward.<br>"I have your orders from the Minister," he told them. "You are hereby commanded to kill the Dragonkin, and have Naminé escorted to the volcano's peak to be sacrificed. Again."  
>"Excuse me," Roxas said, pushing through the watchmen to the guard. "I assume you can take a message back?"<br>"Of course."  
>"Then tell them this. If anyone tries to sacrifice her again, I'll stop it from happening again." Then he looked over his shoulder and added, "Care to give me a hand getting out of this, partner?"<br>"_I thought you'd never ask,"_ he replied. With several more crunches, and considerable damage to the top of the watch house, he jumped off the roof to land on the main street nearby. The watchmen scattered, even Nielen and Xaldin got clear. The Town Guards, on the other hand, merely watched impassively, though nervously. _"Climb on,"_ Axel told him, lowering himself down nearby.  
>"Don't think I won't make good on what I just said," Roxas warned them as he did so. "Oh, by the way. Sorry about your watch house, Nielen. But I did warn you that this was going to be your fault."<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Roxas found that just behind Axel's head there were two small scaled protuberances, just between the ears. He had no idea what they were actually for, but they made excellent handholds.  
>They were circling over the town from high above. Roxas knew this high up he should have had trouble breathing, but also knew that so long as he was with Axel his natural kinship with Dragons would negate that.<br>From up here he could see incredible distances. The forests that surrounded the town could be seen stretching on for unimaginable distances, the carved routes through them looking more like a bit of string had been carelessly dropped over them because they were so small from up here. Along several of them he could see other far off towns and settlements, their size indeterminate because of the vast distance.  
>By far the largest of these settlements was to the south, laying on the edge of a vast cliff face, beyond which only clouds could be seen. Though it was difficult to make out, there appeared to be some kind of dockyards stretching out over the precipice, as if it was a seaside port but without the water. Several ships were even moored up there, floating in the air as if this was perfectly normal.<br>He kept a tight hold on them as he leaned over to look down, seeing Dragonbarrow sprawling down the mountain's peak as if it had been draped over it. From above, it became clear it was more of a city than a town, but official documents had referred to it as the town of Dragonbarrow for so long that it had stuck.  
>"<em>Go careful there,"<em> Axel warned. _"We're a long ways up."  
><em>"I know. Good thing I don't have a fear of heights, huh?"  
>"<em>You don't say. So what now, Roxas? I gather after that, you're a wanted man now."<br>_"Yeah. Not exactly happy about that, but nothing I can do really. At least from up here, I can keep a look out for anyone trying to send Naminé off to the Noble Dragon again. Can we fly over the volcano? I want to see if we can find it."  
>"<em>I don't really want to get too close after the last time I met it."<br>_"Don't worry, Axel. You've got me this time remember, and a bit of my light. Darkness is one of the Noble Dragon's elements, so you'll do great against it. Just don't let it surprise us," he added, leaning over the other side to inspect the side of the volcano. There was no one on the trail up from the town, and no sign of the dragon. It looked like Naminé was safe... for now. No doubt Nielen would have put people in place to keep watch on him from below. If he was seen to leave the area, they'd probably try to sacrifice her as soon as possible.  
>Even at this distance, the lava in the volcano could be clearly seen. Though his memory of the earlier visit he had made was faint, he vaguely recalled that it had been much higher at the time than it was now.<br>"_Hey, Roxas. Is it just me, or is there something over there?"_ he gestured by pointing his head toward the moon, at this height still headed toward the horizon. The faint dragon-like outline was visible against it again. This time, it seemed to have a faint purple haze about the edges of it  
>"It's not just you," he answered. "I see it too. Think it could be another dragon?"<br>"_If it is, it's not any kind _I_ know about. As far as I know, no dragon can do anything like that. Want to investigate?"  
><em>Roxas hesitated. If they left now and the watch sent Naminé back up to the volcano, he wouldn't be there to stop it. On the other hand, if he ignored the... whatever it was now, he might not get the chance again to find out what it was.  
>"Alright," he said at last. "But we keep a close eye on the volcano, and if there's any sign of the dragon or Naminé, we head back immediately. I don't want anything to happen to her."<br>Axel spread his wings wide as he leaned toward the outline, then dived low to pick up speed. The air sped past him, whistle turning to a roar as the ground rushed up to meet them, dropping away again just as quickly as he angled upward just enough to avoid it, weaving between other smaller peaks in his path. He ducked down low so he wouldn't take the full force of the air heading past him so hard.  
>"<em>Hold on tight,"<em> Axel told him, not needing to raise his voice to be heard.  
>"Don't worry about that!" he shouted back. "There's no way I'm missing out on this!"<br>"_Enjoying it?"  
><em>"Who wouldn't?"  
>Axel may have chuckled, but it was hard to tell. Not everything carried over to his new form well enough to be recognised.<br>Another town shot past beneath them. Quick as they were travelling, he briefly managed to spot the locals watch them pass overhead in awe. Clearly not everyone was afraid of dragons, just those in Dragonbarrow – and they were quite a ways from Dragonbarrow now. If the book was accurate and dragons of all kinds were steering clear of humans, then they'd probably never seen any kind of dragon before. Maybe heard of them, but only seen thanks to them.  
>The sky began to darken as they continued on their course, sun starting to recede back toward the horizon behind them like a dawn happening in reverse. Still the dragon outline waited ahead of them, though the moon was higher in the sky now. The outline shimmered much clearer against the darkening backdrop of the starry skies.<br>Roxas began to pick out a few more details about it, realizing it was another Noble Dragon – the presence of the arm-like forelegs was proof enough of that. He tried to recall everything he'd read in the book to see if he could explain what was going on with this dragon, but still nothing came to him.  
>A quick glance behind him showed only the tops of Dragonbarrow's peak and the volcano showing now, but there was no sign of the Noble Dragon threatening the town. He hoped they'd be able to get back in time if anything did happen there.<br>"_Look sharp," _Axel caught his attention, making him turn back again. _"We're almost there."  
><em>He pulled up again, slowing down as he rose up to meet the outline. It was much clearer now, but it was still an outline, an outline of a Noble Dragon that easily dwarfed Axel.  
>As Axel stopped nearby, hovering with only the sound of his wings keeping them in the air to break the silence, in a soft but deep feminine voice the dragon outline asked, <em>"Who are you?"<br>_Roxas took a few moments to understand the exact words, as he hadn't looked much into any of the Draconic dialects except the Wyvern one.  
>"Let me," Roxas murmured to Axel, then to this dragon said, "I'm Master Roxas, Dragonkin. This is my partner, Axel."<br>"_Master Roxas?"_ it echoed. _"How very interesting. What is it that brings you to me?"  
><em>"_Curiosity,"_ Axel told it. _"We could see you back in Dragonbarrow."  
><em>"And I've read a lot about dragons," Roxas continued. "But there's nothing about dragons who can turn almost completely invisible like you."  
>"<em>And so you came to ask me why that is so?" <em>Both of them nodded together. After a short delay, it asked, _"In all you have read, how many kinds of coloured dragon are there?"  
><em>"I'm guessing you don't mean like Wyvern, Wyrm and Noble, right?"  
>"<em>That is correct."<br>_Roxas thought back, recalling the chapter on coloured dragons, then answered, "Two. The common coloured dragons, like red, blue, and so on, and the metallic dragons, such as gold, silver and so on, respective of the various precious metals."  
>"<em>Indeed, those are the two kinds known to mortal man, but there exist a third kind known only to Dragon and Dragonkin. If I am to tell you, you must not to speak of this to none who are not of those."<br>_"_Wait a moment,"_ Axel interrupted. _"I know I'm a Wyvern, and not all men think we Wyverns are really Dragons, but I'm still a Dragon. How come I don't know of it?"  
><em>"_There are requirements to each of the coloured kinds of dragons. A Wyvern may only be of the common coloured variety, and so only knows of that variety unless a meeting with another kind takes place. Only the Noble Dragon and the Wyrm may be one of the metallic dragons, and only a Noble Dragon can become the third kind."  
><em>"And since most Noble Dragons don't even get along with each other, the knowledge doesn't get shared among other kinds of dragons, right?"  
>"<em>Also correct, Master Roxas. While it is permitted for the information to be shared among Dragon and Dragonkin, few ever learn of it. You, Roxas, are the first Dragonkin to know of my kind ever, just as your partner is the first Wyvern to know of them."<br>_"_Guess that makes us extra special. So what exactly are you?"  
><em>"_Watch and allow your Master to make his guess."  
><em>The dragon's outline blurred inward, seeming to form a mist inside the outline until the mist was the outline. It began to harden into flat faces that reflected the moon's light between them, colouring it a deep purple. The hardening continued until the dragon had fully manifested before them. With the light reflected over, and even through it's faintly transparent body, Roxas knew exactly what it was.  
>"Gemstone," he murmured. "You're an onyx dragon, aren't you?"<br>"_You are most perceptive. Indeed, the Gemstone dragons are the rarest of all dragons, and we may only be of the Noble variety."  
><em>"You've been watching me, haven't you?"  
>"<em>Yes."<br>_"Why?"  
>"<em>That is a question for another time. Look to your home, Master Roxas."<br>_Axel turned for him, looking back. The black dragon was distant from Dragonbarrow and the neighbouring volcano home, but it was flying toward it fast.  
>"Axel! We've got to get back there, now!"<br>"_Already on it,"_ Axel replied, banking hard to one side to turn quick enough to get them back.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **I know you've all been waiting breathlessly (or maybe not) to find out what happens next, and so here it is.  
>This chapter also marks the first and so far only time any character has ever actually sworn in any of my stories. I don't plan to make a habit of it though.<p>

* * *

><p>The wind whipped at him stronger, even though he kept low to avoid the worst of it. The worst was yet to come, as dark clouds ahead opened up, lashing at them both with rain that stung all the more for their great speed. Worse yet, they couldn't get up over it because as they went higher it froze into painful hailstones. Even with the scales, even Axel couldn't stand the battering it gave them – one stone in an eye, and he'd be in trouble.<br>Ahead of them, the black dragon continued on its course toward the volcano. There was no way to tell who was the faster, and who would reach the volcano first.  
>"Aim for the dragon!" Roxas called to him, having to scream just to be heard over the noise of air and rain.<br>"_What about Naminé?"  
><em>"If we deal with that dragon, she'll be out of danger for good."  
>"<em>You want me to fight that thing in the rain? Roxas, the weather's going to make it hard for me to get up a flame hot enough to hurt it."<br>_"Stop worrying!" he snapped irritably. "For the last time, you've got a bit of my light, remember? It'll work, just trust me!"  
>Axel grumbled, but reoriented on the dragon. As they turned, Roxas glanced behind to where they had met the gemstone dragon, but either it had vanished, or headed off on its own. Either way, it was nowhere to be seen now.<br>They flew past and beyond the volcano, spotting a troop of guards escorting Naminé back up to its peak again. All of them paused as they shot overhead. Even at this distance, Roxas was certain he saw the hopeful look Naminé had.  
>The oncoming dragon had seen them too, but it made no change of course, not even the slightest acknowledgement except for a narrowing of the eyes.<br>"Veer off!" he called down to Axel. "If we go head on into that thing, we'll be the ones going down – head off and into its side instead!"  
>"<em>I hope you know what you're doing, Roxas. And don't tell me to trust you, I already know."<br>_The diversion worked. The dragon continued past them while Axel leaned to one side, circling around and back for it. His smaller size gave him just a bit more speed than the larger dragon, letting him catch up with it quickly. It glanced back only just in time to see them moments before they slammed into its side hard, ramming it out of the air and sending it flailing downwards.  
>It recovered long before it reached the ground, swooping back up into the skies, eyes flashing maliciously as it gave a load roar over the stormy weather.<br>Now it oriented on them, sending out its sick-green flame toward them as it approached. The flame grew steadily larger as it got closer.  
>Axel reacted without consulting Roxas, leaning to expose his belly and protect him from the flame. He felt the heat from it and saw it impact as the dragon dived down to get clear again afterwards.<br>"Are you alright?"  
>"<em>Not even a scratch,"<em> Axel answered. _"I doubt there's a mark on me from it."  
><em>"Why don't we show her what a _real_ flame feels like?"  
>"<em>Gotcha. Hold on tight – we're going up."<br>_Axel closed the eyes as much as possible to ignore the hailstones as he climbed rapidly into the air while Roxas kept a tight grip, ignoring the growing dampness on the scales he was holding as he watched the dragon below. It had been headed for them, but was now going back to the volcano.  
>His vision dropped off sharply as they passed through the clouds, emerging after a few moments into a frigid but dry and brilliantly white world above them. A growing, growling sound from beneath told him Axel was already building up to unleash his own fiery breath.<br>"Don't take too long if you can help it – it was headed for the volcano just before we hit the clouds."  
>Axel didn't reply, sparing only a few moments longer above the cloud line before plummeting almost straight down, rapidly picking up speed. Even the rain seemed to be going upwards once they emerged back out underneath again.<br>The growling escalated into an earthquake like rumble, drowning out the sounds of the storm. Ahead of them, far below, the black Noble Dragon was hovering just above the volcano, watching as the watchmen tried to coax Naminé up the peak. When she saw them, she stopped resisting entirely, then they too stopped, looking up and seeing him.  
>Axel opened wide, the flame starting to appear. It came out blindingly white, the edges seeming almost to be tinted bright blue, the rumbling becoming an almighty roaring.<br>Last of all, the Noble Dragon looked up, once again moments too late to do anything about what it saw with wide eyes. The edge of the flame caught the upturned head, the neck, then the body right between the wings. The force of it threw it downwards as if hit with a gargantuan hammer.  
>Axel left it until the last moment to draw up, his feet colliding with the edge of the volcano's mouth, sending several rocks crashing down the side and into the forest below. Behind them there was a massive kind of <em>glop<em> sound followed by terrible screeching and several more _glops_.  
>They headed round sharply so they could land at the peak to meet Naminé, but as they passed over the mouth of the volcano, the voice of the onyx dragon sounded warningly, <em>"Watch out!<em> _It is not over yet!"  
><em>Lava shot up from the volcano, catching one of Axel's wings, sending him tumbling this time, dangerously close to the ground before he finally managed to regain control. Several scrubby trees they had caught were now on fire, and Axel's wing was distinctly darker in places, as if scorched.  
>The very air itself seemed to shake and rumble around them with a shattering, guttural roar of furious rage. Roxas turned to see the dragon had re-emerged from the lava, bigger than it had been before. It was still black, but the lines between the scales were now a glowing network of lava orange lines. Where before, like any other dragon, the scales overlapped each other, the lava had pushed them apart to make them separate, enhancing the size of the already massive beast.<br>"_Grahk!"_ Axel exclaimed.  
>Roxas knew the translation, fervently wishing he didn't. He racked his mind for anything he could say that would echo the statement, then finally settled on, "Oh... shit."<br>"_I heard that."  
><em>"So what? Can you stand up to lava?"  
>"<em>Have you completely lost your mind? If that thing hits us with fire, we'll be liquidised!"<br>_"What about if its only for a few moments? Keep on hitting it hard, and try and get it to collide with the side of the volcano."  
>"<em>I think I might be able to stand it. Are you sure this will work?"<br>_"How much do you trust me right now?" he asked Axel, tugging on one of his handholds to steer him away from a blast of lava the dragon shot at them.  
>"<em>Completely. You got us this far, but what does..." <em>Axel trailed off. _"Neat."  
><em>"_Isn't it just?"_ Roxas replied in Draconic, thinking the words. Their minds were linked, separated but still linked. _"Work with me, partner."  
><em>Their thoughts unified and synchronised perfectly with the close bond between them, they were almost like one being, one with each other. He could feel the pain in Axel's slightly burnt wing, and he could feel the last aches of the foot that had caught the lip of the volcano.  
>They steered clear of another shot of lava, which ignited a nearby patch of woodlands, weaving around and between the continued blasts. The dragon shot a focused beam of lava at them, lighting yet more forest as it continued to miss entirely.<br>They focused Roxas's light shared between them, building it up without Axel's fire. It would take time, it built up slower than the fire, but all they had to do was stay in the air long enough. The Noble Dragon was passed by so close it had been possible to kick its snout on the way past with the unharmed foot. They felt the heat, but the momentary contact had not been enough to cause any lasting harm.  
>Now the lava was shot into the skies, sending great clouds of steam rising up from the superheated rain and ice it left in its wake and ripping through the clouds above. They continued to weave through them, circling the hovering dragon. Unless it started moving, it was going to keep on having trouble manoeuvring to keep up with them. It allowed them to make dives down to land briefly on its back to jolt it downwards, on the tail to drag it for a ways, or on a wing to make it lose control for long enough to shove it down toward the rocks.<br>With every attack the Noble Dragon made, the lines of lava between the scales shrunk down, the scales started to overlap again, and the dragon began to return to its previous size. Just as the build up of light was starting to approach a critical mass, it dived back down into the lava.  
>They steered clear of the volcano's mouth this time, circling around it from a safe distance. Naminé stood watching in awe with the terrified watchmen already running back to the town having abandoned her. Faintly, over the grumbling lava, the rumbling earth and the torn remains of the storm, they were sure they could hear her rooting for them. In the distance, the many walled terraces and rooftops of Dragonbarrow appeared to be lined with people looking on. It was impossible to tell who's side they were on.<br>The Noble Dragon burst up through the surface of the lava once more with restored lava between the scales, rising up into the skies rapidly, head whipping around to search for the Wyvern behind it.  
>The rumbling built up once more, not from the volcano or the Noble Dragon but from Axel again. It was brought into sharp focus, then aimed at the dragon's unprotected back, at an angle that would sent it straight through the heart and out the front.<br>It blazed forth, rending the air asunder with a sound like metal being torn apart, a cross between creaking, screaming, scraping and tearing that seemed to rip through everything in its path. The Noble Dragon seemed to freeze entirely when it impacted its back, and for a long time it seemed as if it hadn't penetrated... then at last it tore out through the other side, somehow extinguishing a part of one of the spreading fires.  
>"<em>Curse you... Roxas..."<em> an unfamiliar Draconic voice screamed at him.  
>"<em>You got what you deserved, Maleficent,"<em> Axel told the now falling dragon. It seemed to be crystallizing as it fell, turning white as it limply dropped back into the volcano. The lava shot up once more, but fell again moments later. It started to rise up alarmingly quick.  
>"<em>Axel!"<em> Roxas cried out in alarm as it crested the mouth and began to run down the sides.  
>"<em>Already on it."<br>_He fell into another steep dive, quickly locating Naminé running down one side of the volcano. She'd never make it to the town in time.  
>Axel beat his wings hard to slow in time, landing just ahead of her.<br>"Get on!" Roxas yelled to her, leaning over almost enough to fall out as he extended a hand. He caught her own in his, pulling hard to swing her up behind him. "Hold on tight," he told her, then, "Go, Axel!"  
>They were airborne again in no time, rising up and over Dragonbarrow in moments.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Axel landed in one of the open gardens in the lower town that had fewer trees. The residents had scattered as he headed down, understandably worried that they might turn on them next, but began to surge toward them once they touched down.  
>The watch were among the crowds however, and almost before Naminé and Roxas had returned to solid ground themselves, they had formed a protective perimeter to keep them back.<br>"Up to some more flying, Axel?" Roxas asked, ignoring this.  
>"<em>What have you got in mind now?"<br>_"Find some blue dragons. It doesn't matter what kind, but find them, ask them to help us deal with the fires, and especially the lava. If that continues unchecked it'll just flow over the walls. Throw my name around if you have to, enlist other dragons if they can contribute to it, just see what help you can get us."  
>"<em>Don't go getting in trouble again while I'm gone,"<em> he warned, crouching low for a moment then jumping back up into the air. With a few beats of the wings, he was off again.  
>"Roxas," Naminé whispered in concern. "Nielen's here."<br>"Does he look happy to see us?" he answered.  
>"I don't think so."<br>He sighed, then without turning around called out, "Nice of you to join us, Nielen. Don't tell me, you're here to arrest me yet again for putting the town in danger, this time with the lava."  
>"Don't be absurd," Nielen replied. "I just have some questions for you."<br>"Alright. You can ask them right here, where everyone can hear."  
>"What are your intentions, Roxas?"<br>"Right now? Wait for Axel to get back, hopefully with some assistance to deal with that lava. Since he and I sort of caused it, I think its only fair we do something to stop it from causing any harm."  
>"And in the longer term?"<br>"I thought I'd go back to a quieter life, why?"  
>"You killed the Minister," Nielen replied accusingly.<br>There was silence all around. Most weren't even aware they had a Minister – like most, they thought it just a myth.  
>"So the dragon was the town's Minister, was it?" Roxas said at last.<br>"Under her rule, Dragonbarrow flourished into what it is today. The sacrifice was deemed to be a small price to pay for bringing us out of the dark age we were in and out into a golden age."  
>Roxas folded his arms, looked around the assembled, then called out, "Who among you would want the dragon back just because the town's senate can't be bothered to think for themselves?"<br>Silence.  
>"Who would rather the dragon did things for us instead of the council learning for themselves? Who would rather it hogged all the achievement instead of us achieving things for ourselves?"<br>Still silence.  
>"Who would rather that I had left the dragon to continue doing that, and never taken it on?"<br>"You've made your point," Nielen answered sourly. "But someone has to be the Minister."  
>"Don't look at me. I'm a Dragonkin. Giving me the position would just mean another dragon there."<br>"What do you suggest then?"  
>"Elect someone," Roxas shrugged. "To be honest, I don't really care who runs Dragonbarrow. As long as it isn't a dragon, and there isn't any sacrifice."<br>Nielen thought for a time, then over his shoulder he said, "Xaldin! Go to the Commander and tell him what's happened here. Let him know my earlier recommendation stands. Roxas and I will remain here."  
>"And Naminé?" Roxas prompted.<br>"What about her? Without a dragon, there's no sacrifice. She's no one special any longer."  
>"<em>Clear a space!"<em> Axel's voice called down to them. Others may only have heard the roar, but he understood and passed the message on as Axel made his way back down again.  
>"Any luck?" he asked his partner as he landed.<br>"_I happened to come across a passing Blue Wyrm by pure chance. He's promised his aid, and passed word through his tunnels to any other Wyrms in the area. They'll alert any other dragons in their ranges too. He did tell me to warn you that he expects you to owe him a favour for this."  
><em>"I guess that's acceptable. How soon can he get here?"  
>Something crashed further down the town. The crowds cleared around Roxas as he headed to the edge of this terrace.<br>"What did your dragon tell you?" Nielen asked, joining him.  
>"He told me he managed to enlist the aid of a few other dragons to help deal with the lava. And if I'm not mistaken..." he looked down toward the valley between town and volcano. A large trench was appearing in the wake of a long, large scaled mass. The lava was flowing into the trench and draining away. "There is our aid," Roxas finished.<br>"A Blue Wyrm? But Wyrms never come above ground..."  
>"Not without good reason," Roxas corrected him. "I'm guessing he'll handle the main lava flow first, then the forest fires."<br>"Dragonkin Roxas!" a voice boomed behind them.  
>"That'll be Commander Vexen."<br>"What was your recommendation to him?"  
>But Nielen had already departed, heading to the Commander. He looked like any other watchman at a first glance, except the second showed there was no sign of wear on his armour. The Commander didn't get directly involved in handling crime often. Behind him, several more watchman followed in formation.<br>There were a few moments discussion, then the Commander took a crossbow from a watchman behind that had been holding two of them.  
>"Captain Nielen wants you dead," he began, preparing the crossbow to fire. "I for one, agree with him. Who knows what you'll be taken to do next? You've got one dragon, defeated a second and called for help from others. You're too dangerous to leave alive, Roxas."<br>"There's going to be a 'but' isn't there?" he asked, watching the crossbow. The gathered crowds, Naminé and Axel were also watching it. The watchmen behind him already had loaded their crossbows, and had them aimed at him  
>"No," the Commander answered, raising the crossbow to aim it at him. Then he fired.<br>Axel lightly held Naminé back with the tip of one wing as Roxas stumbled back slightly from the bolt that hit him squarely in the chest.  
>The rest of the watchmen fired, not all at once but one after another, sending him back several steps with each shot until he tripped and went over the wall down to the next terrace.<br>"I wish..." he began weakly, but the wish was never finished. He hit the ground below before he managed any more.  
>From above he heard Vexen's voice saying, "No Dragonkin can be trusted. Dragons, but not Dragonkin." There was a delay then he continued, "That is not a Dragon. That is a Wyvern. Kill it."<br>Axel gave a short snarl, then he took to the air again. A rattle of crossbow bolts on his scales followed him.  
>"<em>I wish I had the strength to stop this,"<em> Roxas said, the Draconic words coming to him with the last of his strength.  
>The bolts in him burst into flames that left him and his clothes untouched, the ashes circling him in a faint breeze like tiny lights dotting the air. As the bolts burned down, a similar burning seemed to flow into him, spreading through him. He felt it starting to restore his strength, and started to push himself upwards.<br>A lick of light reflected off the scales he'd gained when he'd partnered with Axel, catching his attention. He noticed the scales starting to spread around and further up the arm, disappearing under his clothes. The other arm now also had scales down it, not just on the inside but all around.  
>He still felt the heat inside him, like he had a furnace inside him that grew hotter as his anger grew. A deep breath was taken, then he breathed out hard, looking to the sky above. A great fireball burst upwards, crackling as it soared upwards until it burnt itself out.<br>"What was _that_?" Nielen breathed above him.  
>Roxas scaled the wall to the next terrace simply by punching holes in it to use as handholds, climbing back into view of what was left of the crowd. The watchmen were still there, Xaldin with Naminé.<br>The grassy lawn underneath him started to smoke almost as soon as he stepped off the wall onto it, stalking purposefully toward Vexen. People started to scramble for cover as he passed.  
>"A Wyvern wouldn't have a partner Dragonkin if it wasn't a Dragon," he growled to the accompaniment of yet more crackling as he fought the urge to speak Draconic instead. "I put a stop to the sacrifice, make it possible for the the town to be run without having to rely on a dragon, and this is the thanks you give me? I make arrangements to keep the town safe from the lava flow of the volcano, put out the fires before they get out of hand and get the town out of danger, and you try to kill me? Is that any way to be grateful for what I've done?"<br>"No one should be able to survive a fall like that," Vexen stammered in the face of his fury.  
>"You can't kill a Dragonkin so long as their partner is still alive," he answered, then with some effort calmed himself. The fire inside seemed to die down a bit with it, and the scales receded until there were just three lines on one arm again. "I could have easily burnt you to a crisp," he told Vexen. "But I didn't. I'm not a bad guy. I don't want to be. But now I have to ask myself... if this is the reaction I get to my help, do I really want to stick around to keep the town safe from threats?"<br>"What about the threat of you and your dragon?" Nielen asked him.  
>"Fine. I see the way it is. As soon as Axel gets back, I'll pack up my belongings and leave. You're on your own now."<br>"Roxas, don't go!" It was Naminé, naturally.  
>"I'm not welcome here," he told her. "Anyone can see that. Better that I leave them without having to worry about threats that aren't there."<br>"At least... let me come with you?"  
>"I couldn't do that, Naminé. You'd end up being unwelcome because of me." He looked to Vexen and Nielen nearby, then added, "I'll visit from time to time, whether they like it or not. Now everyone go back to whatever you were doing... I'm going to get my stuff and go."<br>The crowds parted around him easily. It was hard to say what they thought of him now.


	14. Chapter 14

For the first time in years, Roxas's room had been tidied up. The mysterious relic of 'clear floor' had been discovered and cleaned, the desk had been put into some semblance of order, and everything had been put away.  
>Everything, that was, except for some of his belongings. The two trophies that had sat on top of the shelves, both showing he'd taken first place in skateboarding events in the past, were packed carefully into one of the four bags. Some of his clothes acted as padding to keep them relatively safe, along with some few other things he wanted to keep safe. The hideout was the only place left here where he knew anything of his could truly be safe. No one explored the tunnels. If they had, Axel would have been found sooner.<br>After a time, he became aware of someone in the doorway, but continued to pack.  
>"You're really going to go, aren't you?" Naminé's voice came from behind him.<br>"What do I have left here?" Roxas answered, not turning around. "You saw their reaction. The people here have hated dragons, totally unaware that the dragon was their Minister, for so long that nothing will change it overnight."  
>"Nothing changes that quick."<br>"You'd expect they'd have given me at least a slightly better reaction though. Better that I leave until the last of this blows over."  
>"What about me? Do you plan to just leave me behind?"<br>"I meant what I said up there. I'll visit from time to time. Anyway, you'd only get treated badly if you hung around me for long. I don't want to give them the chance to alienate you like they have me."  
>"They'll change, Roxas," she insisted, joining him. "They'll have to accept what's happened sooner or later."<br>"I know. But it'll take time, and I don't care to put up with this kind of reaction until then. Besides... Axel's disappeared. Would you give me a hand with a couple of these?"  
>"Where to?"<br>"The hideout, of course. Only you and I know about it, so it's the perfect place to leave what I can't conveniently carry."  
>He helped her pick up the lighter of the two, keeping the heavier ones for himself. Ever since he'd made the last wish, he felt stronger than he had before. The fire inside was still there too, flaring or quieting depending mostly on how he felt.<br>He knew why it had happened. During their battle with the Noble Dragon, he had made Axel focus every last bit of his light in him, leaving him with a vacuum where it had been. When he made that wish, Axel's fire filled that empty space, giving him further benefits from his partner dragon. Now he just had to learn to keep them under control, instead of letting them flare up all the time. Let alone that it gave him the irritating habit of trying to speak the language of Dragons instead of common.  
>"Where will you go?" Naminé asked him as they exited back onto the streets. The few people around quickly tried to look as if they had already been heading away from where he was. Roxas ignored the reaction.<br>"I don't know. I don't have anywhere specific in mind. Once I find Axel, things will be easier."  
>"You shouldn't have to go just because of what people think."<br>"I know."  
>There wasn't much more to say. He let them into the tunnels through one of the few tunnel entrances out in the open, then into the gloom of the tunnels toward the hideout. Naminé picked a torch out of a basket on the way in, lighting it from a lit one above. Roxas didn't need to worry, not with the red tint to his sight keeping things clear even in the lowest light.<br>"Just leave the bags here," he told Naminé after letting them in. "They'll be safe in this place."  
>"You're not taking them with you?"<br>"I plan to travel light," he replied, picking up the familiar and empty rucksack. The book of dragons was tucked into the hidden pocket at the bottom, then a few changes of clothes and basic necessities were added, followed by a small pouch that held his entire savings. "No more than I need."  
>"I'm going to miss you, Roxas."<br>"As long as you remember me, I'll be right here with you," he told her, then took out his keys, handing her one. "Here. It's the master key for the hideout. It's yours now, Naminé. Keep it safe for me."  
>She took it, hugged him and said, "Take care of yourself out there, Roxas."<br>"I would have thought you'd come with me, at least to the gates."  
>"I'd only cry, and I'd rather you remember me like this."<br>He gently prised her off him, brushing her hair aside with a smile.  
>"Keep an eye out for me. I'll be back before you know it," he told her, then let himself out again, not knowing when he'd return.<p>

Roxas headed down the same street he'd travelled down on the first day here after the wish that had started it all. It wasn't exactly deserted, but as he headed down the terraces there seemed to be a kind of bubble around him where no one would go. Everyone knew what he was now, and no one seemed to feel safe around him.  
>Axel wasn't the only dragon he wanted to find. The Onyx dragon they'd met knew something. It had tried to warn them when Maleficent had come out of the lava for the second round, but he knew it hadn't been there. It was watching him, but why?<br>Furthermore, why were his wishes coming true? Were there limits to them, to how much they could do, and would they ever run out? There were no explanations or answers for these questions, and nothing he could draw on to even hazard a guess.  
>As he headed down, he noticed there were a number of watchmen headed toward the same gate he was, gathering in the space between the gate and the steps down from the next terrace up. The one that used to be used for the sacrifice, which lead to the volcano, the old mine, and also one of the major junctions outside the town that split off to various routes to distant towns.<br>If they were going to try and stop him, then they obviously hadn't learned from the threat he'd made to the Commander. What else would they be up to though? Closer examination revealed Nielen in discussion with several members of the Town Guard nearer the gate.  
>Something was going on, clearly. He'd pick a different route out, but he wasn't going to let them change anything else. It was enough that he was having to leave.<br>A short, thin item wrapped in brown paper was hurried down to them, handed to Nielen during an animated conversation, then a watchman came up with a similar package that was also handed to him.  
>Roxas crossed the third terrace from the wall, watching as the Town Guards formed up on either side of the gate, the neat lines continued by the watchmen right up to the near side of the terrace. Nielen stood before the closed gate the two packages he'd been given in hand. A suspicion started to form. He continued on, ignoring the guards until Nielen was the only thing between him and the gate.<br>"What are you up to, Nielen?"  
>"Getting into a little trouble," he answered with a faint smile. "The Commander wouldn't approve of this after your little display earlier, but some of us feel differently. So we're going to tell him after you've left."<br>"Tell him what, exactly?"  
>"Roxas, despite the public reaction to you, we feel it wouldn't be fair to let you leave unprepared. During your time with the watch, even as a part-timer, you showed considerable prowess with a sword. So before you leave..." the packaging was unwrapped to reveal a sword-belt with a scabbard already attached, and a suspiciously new looking sword. It looked almost like it had never been used.<br>The sword itself was longer than the standard watch issue, with a ruby set into the pommel of the blade. The hilt was ornately designed with dragons on it, though it was hard to tell which kind.  
>"It belonged to the Minister that came before the Dragon," Nielen explained. "I had it restored to its original glory. Take care of it Roxas, and yourself too."<br>Roxas found his voice again. "You said you wanted me dead earlier."  
>"There were civilians around," he brushed it aside. "Just between you and me, I've never agreed with working under a dragon. But the watch has always been completely neutral when it comes to political opinions, so I had to appear to keep to that."<br>"And that justified it?"  
>"No. That was me upholding the town's law. Dragonkin are meant to be shot on sight. The Commander was a bit annoyed when he discovered I wouldn't do it, which is why he did it himself. You surprised us all, coming back up like that."<br>"You could make up for it. At least a bit."  
>"How's that?"<br>"You could tell me which way Axel went."  
>"You're already heading in the right direction. Do you have everything you need?"<br>"I think so. If not... well, I'll soon find out."  
>Nielen nodded, then stepped aside. "Open the gates!" he commanded the watchmen on the walls. "Safe journey, Roxas," he added with a salute. Both watchmen and Town Guard alike followed suit to see him off on his journey.<br>Somewhere out there was Axel, the mysterious Onyx Dragon, and the answers he was looking for. Waiting for him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **And here we hit the end of this story, left deliberately open for a following story to chronicle his journey. But that's a story for another time.  
>All I have left to say is that the mystery of the Onyx Dragon isn't nearly as mysterious as it seems to be. All the clues are right there to at least hint toward what it is.<p> 


End file.
